Madness in Love
by Prongs3345
Summary: Sequel to "Make Ourselves Worthy of Happiness." Derek and Spencer have each other, but they aren't out of the woods yet.  This tale chronicles their struggle to stay together, and to keep it all together. Morgan/Reid Read MOWOH first!
1. Back in Full Swing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, or any of the characters. I guess I own the serial killers that I make up though. That's not a comforting thought.**

**Welcome! This is the sequel to "Make Ourselves Worthy of Happiness" so if you haven't read it yet, you probably should. I guess you don't have to, but it's only 6 chapters, so why not? This will contain a lot of slash (much more than the last story) and, knowing me, a healthy dose of angst. But before we get to the sexy stuff we have to set up the story. So, without further ado, I present the first chapter of "Madness in Love." **

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Chapter 1: Back in Full Swing**

_"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."_

_–Nietzsche_

Derek Morgan parked his SUV in front of the Quantico building, turning it off and sitting in silence for a moment.

'_God, I've missed this place,' _he thought to himself as he sat in his vehicle and watched the light fluffy snow come down around the B.A.U. It had only been two weeks, but SSA Morgan had never felt so alone when he wasn't working.

The mandatory 'vacation,' as Hotch had called it, hadn't come as a surprise to him. After all, he had tried to kill himself in a drunken rage. He hadn't drank since that night, but only because Spencer had been checking in on him constantly.

'_Spencer…'_

In a way, that night had been the miracle that had brought them together. But this last week had been the worst. The entire team, even Penelope Garcia, had been on a case that had lasted an entire six nights, in _Oregon_ of all places. And Morgan hadn't been able to go. It was only Dr. Reid's nightly phone calls that kept Morgan from buying a bottle of whiskey and drinking away his loneliness. That and Clooney, although the large Doberman was a bit thrown off by his owner always being home.

And now, Derek Morgan was allowed to return to his true home, though once the others got off the jet he knew he would be facing a lot of questions. True to his word, Spencer, JJ, and Hotch hadn't told anyone why Derek was really gone, so he could tell everyone himself. Of course, Garcia had already made numerous phone calls, but Derek said he would tell her in person when he was ready. And today, he was ready.

His cellphone buzzed in his pocket. A text from Reid.

_Are you ready? We're just landing now._

Morgan replied with a simple _'yes' _and got out of his SUV to work on paperwork until his teammates—his family—arrived.

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After nervously consuming his second cup of coffee, the glass doors of the bullpen opened, and Derek was met with a bustling squeal of color overwhelming his body. When he could finally stand up and turn around, he laughed and embraced Penelope Garcia with as much fervor as she.

"Hey, Baby Girl, go easy on me," Derek said as he kissed her forehead and continued to hug her.

"Oh you silly stud muffin, I've missed your dark beautiful musculature around here for two weeks! Am I going to have to kidnap you and tie you down for you to tell me where you've been? Because I am completely prepared to do just that." They embraced a bit longer before Morgan stepped back from her.

"I'll talk to you about it later, Sweetness. I promise. There's no need for threats." He joked before turning to hug Prentiss. Prentiss wasn't used to showing affection, but she returned the gesture.

"You know, I actually missed you a little, Morgan," she joked. Derek knew she was dying to know what happened, but she wouldn't press him. He laughed and pushed her gently.

"I missed you, too, Em."

Hotch, JJ, and Rossi said their hellos before retreating to their offices to get work started. And coming in the rear was the one person that Derek was most looking forward to seeing: Dr. Spencer Reid.

The gangly doctor was struggling with his go-bag, his tan shoulder bag, and a large box of files. Morgan rushed forward to help him, and as he pulled the box out of his hands their hands lingered for just a few seconds longer than necessary and they smiled knowingly at each other. But they weren't yet ready to reveal to others the nature of their relationship. In the few moments, Spencer's eidetic memory recalled the last night they had spent together.

_Spencer had had a rough day of work, leaving him borderline lifeless as he lay in Derek Morgan's bed. Derek had his muscled arms wrapped around Spencer's thin body, kissing the back of his lovers neck as they absorbed each other's body heat. Spencer held one of Derek's hands in front of him, tracing the healing scars on his palm. A week ago, Derek had tried to kill himself. A week ago, faced with the thought of losing him, Spencer finally kissed the man he loved more than anything in this world. And to his relief, Derek had lived, and had kissed him back. _

"_Spencer? You still awake?" Derek asked as Spencer started to doze off. Spencer murmured something and rolled over to face him. Their lips met in a kiss that was sweet and loving, and they continued to kiss until they both fell asleep. The next morning they only had a brief goodbye kiss, before Spencer headed to the B.A.U. Neither knew that they wouldn't get to see each other again for another week._

"Hey, Pretty Boy, I know that you missed me, at least," Derek said, winking slyly as he took the box and took it over to his desk in the bullpen. Spencer rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, you bet. I totally missed your sarcastic remarks and hilarious nicknames," Reid retorted, sending a secret wink back to Morgan.

"You'll have to celebrate your return later, Morgan. We have a case in Texas," Hotch said as he walked from his office to the conference room.

"Meet us in five minutes, we'll have everything ready for you then," JJ said as she followed behind him with files. Rossi soon followed.

"I'm going to need another cup of coffee," Prentiss said, eyeing her empty thermos. Morgan seemed to perk up.

"I'll get it for you, Em. Reid, grab your and Garcia's cups and we'll fill up everyone's," he said, grabbing the mug from Prentiss and walking towards the break room. He opened the door to the empty room and quickly filled his and Prentiss' cups, and turned as Reid walked in the door.

Spencer didn't get a chance to say anything as Derek smashed his body against his, pushing them against the wall as their lips met. Reid managed to sit the mugs on table as he wrapped his arms around Derek's waist, sliding his hands under the dark agent's shirt and rubbing his back roughly. Derek ground his hips against Reid's and elicited a moan from the young genius, and without hesitation Derek shoved his tongue into his mouth. Their tongues wrestled for control as Spencer suddenly got the upper hand, and he was able to explore Derek's mouth as he was forced harder and harder against the wall. Derek was gripping his hips tightly, removing any space between them. Finally, they broke apart.

"God, Pretty Boy, I missed you…" Derek breathed as he leaned against Spencer, bringing him into an embrace. "Now that I have you I don't know what to do without you."

Spencer hugged him tightly. "I missed you, too, Derek. So much," he sighed and reluctantly pushed Derek away. "But we have to get out there." Derek nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. They need their coffee fix," he leaned in and kissed Spencer right next to his ear and whispered, "But I'm going to get my fix later." Spencer chuckled and pushed him away playfully, and they filled up the coffee thermoses and left the break room.

"Jeeze, what took so long? Five minutes back and the bromance is already in full swing?" Prentiss teased. Morgan tensed up, but Spencer smoothly cut in.

"Well we would have been faster, but Derek spilled coffee in the break room. This is why we can't have nice things, Derek."

The team laughed before the door to the conference room opened, and JJ stuck her head out.

"Come on in guys, we're ready."

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**Reviews make me publish faster, it's a fact. :)**


	2. Welcome Back

**Sorry for the long wait between updates, I worry too much about making cases feel real than I probably should. This chapter is pretty case oriented, but it's necessary if we're going to get to the good stuff! And this one is dedicated to the ladies out there; we can be serial killers, too! I'd also like to dedicate it to my fellow Americans celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, since this fic has slash as well as some interracial lovin'. I have a dream that one day couples like Derek and Spencer will be fully accepted into society! I promise the next chapter will have some more action in it, and I will update it tonight or tomorrow night!**

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**Chapter 2: Welcome Back**

Morgan and Reid paid extra care to sit far away from each other in the conference room as JJ and Hotch divulged the details of the case. In short, local women were being poisoned with cyanide capsules all around the Plano area.

"All the women were reported to have been leaving bars, and witnesses say that they had had their fair share of alcohol. All of them had been put into cabs at closing time and sent home. So far we have three victims, but we may have more. The bodies weren't examined for poison at first because it was assumed that they had all had normal heart attacks or seizures, but after the latest victim, Mary Packer, they discovered the cyanide and decided to double check. Authorities are still working on exhuming the bodies," JJ said, writing the names of the victims under their pictures. All were between the ages of 21 and 40, and very pretty.

"A suburban town like that just writes off three women's deaths as natural causes? They didn't even check for poisoning?" Morgan asked skeptically. Hotch nodded.

"All of the victims were said to be jumpy, Mary and Sue Rittman were both prior rape victims and Julia Abner was apparently an alcoholic on a downward spiral," he said, pointing to the three faces on the board in turn. JJ's phone rang and she pardoned herself from the room as the team continued to discuss.

"The UnSub is probably a male between 25 and 45, if he's killing females," Reid suggested, but Prentiss shook her head.

"Men are aggressive, they shoot, strangle, and stab. Women use poison, it's more passive. We can't rule out a woman as the UnSub, especially considering these murders didn't have any sexual motivation behind them," she said, to which Spencer nodded.

"A drunk woman should be an easy target for sexual assault," Rossi interjected, "and there was none of that apparent. All the women made it into their houses safe and sound, enough to lock the door and prohibit anyone from entering. This has to be a female, I'm sure of it."

Morgan flipped through his file. "Then what is her motivation? These women were typical suburban members of society, and aside from the rapes and the alcoholism, they haven't had a single mark on their files," he stated, leaving a question open for the team to answer. At that moment, JJ reentered the room.

"Guys, we have to move, now. The reports came back for two bodies that were killed over a year ago, positive for cyanide. And another woman was just found dead, also as a result of cyanide. This is the first time the suspect has killed twice in the same month," she said. The team looked gravely at one another.

"Wheels up in five," Hotch said, gathering his things and exiting the room. The others followed suit. Morgan and Reid were last, where Spencer caught Derek's eye.

"Welcome back."

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Along the plane ride, they discussed female serial killers. There were only 7 profiles for women: black widow, angel of death, sexual predator, revenge killer, for profit killer, team killer, and questionable sanity.

"We can rule out sexual predator and team killer. We already said that there wasn't a sexual basis for these murders," Rossi said.

"Why not team killer?" Morgan asked. Reid, sitting in the bucket seat next to him, answered it before everyone else.

"Typically team killers involve one man and one woman. These murders don't appear to have any qualities of a masculine killer being involved. Prentiss nodded.

"And black widow and angel of death. These women are in completely different circles, they have no similar places of interest; she isn't killing to get an inheritance. And I can't see why an angel of death would want to kill these women at bars, since they are typically found in hospitals and nursing homes," she said.

"So that leaves revenge, for profit, and insane," Hotch finished, and the rest of the team agreed.

As they landed, JJ and Hotch went to the police station while everyone else went to the hotel to get rid of their stuff. The hotel was nearly to capacity, and they were forced to share rooms. Reid hoped that nobody noticed when Morgan didn't complain about being assigned a room with him.

They entered the room together, throwing their go-bags on the floor in front of the beds. Morgan was chuckling quietly to himself.

"What's so funny?" Spencer asked. Morgan grinned slyly at him before leaning in and putting his hands on either side of his face, giving him a deep kiss.

"Because they gave us separate beds. If they only knew that we'd been sharing a bed for the past two weeks…" he said as they kissed again, Reid putting his arms around Morgan's back. It was true, they had been having a lot of 'sleepovers,' although it was partially to make sure Morgan was safe, and partly because they enjoyed making out and fooling around before bed. They hadn't had sex yet; Spencer was still a virgin and Derek was okay with taking it slow. Not too slow, of course.

They laughed together quietly between kisses, before they heard a knock on the door. Rossi yelled from the other side.

"Okay you two, get out here or you'll be walking to the station."

Morgan laughed and yelled back, "Okay, coming right down, Pops!" His and Rossi's relationship had grown closer to that of a mentor and pupil, and neither could really recall their initial hostility to each other. He and Reid grabbed their things and left for the station, sharing a private kiss in the elevator before reaching the others.

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**I just realized that I hate when people write chapters like this; a whole lotta talk and not enough action. But Chapter One was the bump, Chapter Two is the set, and the rest of the chapters can all be spikes in which Derek and Spencer score (see what I did there?). Next chapter coming soon!**


	3. Making Up for Lost Time

**Thank Gubler for not having class til 12:30 tomorrow! Otherwise I didn't think this chapter would get up. This is an aptly named chapter, and I dedicate this to everyone who has been dying for slash (I know I have!) and the best part is that I know exactly what's happening in the next chapter, so it'll be up early tomorrow! And by early, I mean not in the wee hours of the morning, like usual. Enjoy :)**

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Chapter 3: Making Up for Lost Time**

The team had spent the better part of the day at the station and crime scenes, going through every possible lead; they were still coming up empty handed. Everything from the cab drivers to the baby sitters of these women were completely different, and the bar owners couldn't be expected to remember every customer they had seen over the last few years. Just after 11 that night, the team trudged into the hotel to get some much needed rest. Morgan and Reid said goodnight to the rest of the team.

Suddenly, they both seemed to get their second wind.

Before the door had even completely snapped shut, Reid's mouth was on Morgan's, and he was roughly tugging the tight shirt off. The older agent just laughed and pulled his coworker's tan sweater vest over his head.

"Man, I thought it was bad being away from you for a week," Derek said as he worked on the buttons of Spencer's shirt and they both stumbled out of their shoes and socks. "But it felt so much worse being with you all day and not being able to touch you."

"Well if we hadn't been partnered with Rossi all day…" Spencer started to say, but trailed off as his mouth was consumed in the kiss.

Finally, they were both shirtless and running their hands over each other's bodies; Derek's hands over pale, soft, tight flesh and Spencer's over dark, scarred, muscles. Instead of fighting for control, Spencer allowed Derek's tongue slide into his mouth, and he sucked on it as if to make their mouths consume each other. Derek moaned as he felt his pants constricting him, and he could feel through his grinding hips that Spencer was having a similar problem.

"Shhh…." said Reid when they broke apart for air. "The rest of the team is down this hallway." But he didn't respect his own advice as he pushed Derek against the wall hard, a grunt erupting from the older man. Reid went to work as he sucked on Derek's sweet spot, right above his clavicle and next to his jugular vein. Derek had to bite his lip to keep from groaning too loudly. After feeling he had successfully tortured Morgan enough, Reid smiled and started kissing his way down the dark chest until he had knelt on the ground in front of him. As he unbuckled Derek's belt and unzipped his jeans, Derek ran his fingers through his long hair. He sighed with relief as his cock was finally released from its denim prison.

Reid put his hands on Morgan's toned ass and squeezed lightly as he slowly licked Morgan's length. Derek shuddered and pulled as gently as he could on Spencer's hair, but he felt that he wasn't totally in control of his body anymore. Reid gave a breathy laugh and squeezed again as he put Derek inside his mouth, sucking as he swirled his tongue around the tip. One of his hands came to the front to stroke Derek gently has he started to move his head up and down. The sight of Spencer sucking his cock made Derek harder, if it was possible, and his hips bucked into Spencer's mouth.

Reid gagged only slightly, before deciding he was done with the games as he took Derek completely in his mouth. Morgan's breath was coming out ragged and strained, and he slammed his fist into the wall to keep himself from yelling out.

"Oh my god, Pretty Boy, I wish I could just take you now…"

Spencer didn't reply but just sucked even harder, til Derek had completely tangled his hands in Spencer's hair and was pulling him back softly.

"That's enough, Spence, I'm about to…" Instead of pulling back so that Derek could finish into a towel, like they had done at home, he just redoubled his efforts without removing his mouth.

"Spencer…" Derek covered his mouth as he climaxed into Reid's mouth, but it wasn't enough to stop him from groaning loudly in pleasure.

Spencer stood up and looking bemusedly at Derek, swallowed. Morgan just laughed with wide eyes before pushing Spencer backwards. The tall clumsy man stumbled back and lost his balance, falling on his back onto the hotel bed.

And suddenly Derek was straddling him, leaning down to kiss him passionately while he pulled off Spencer's trousers. Soon they were on the floor with the rest of the clothes. Morgan had Spencer's cock in his hand and was stroking it slowly between them. When he suddenly became faster, Spencer couldn't help but let out a loud moan that was stifled by Derek's. They grinded roughly against each other and Spencer could feel himself getting ready to finish.

"Derek…" he started.

"Uh-uh, Pretty Boy. Not yet."

Derek lowered his mouth onto his lover's member and finished him off. Spencer came with his hands fisted in his sheets and biting his lip to keep from moaning too loudly. Derek swallowed and smiled.

"So much for staying quiet, Spence," he said as they repositioned themselves to lie under the blankets, Spencer laying on his back with Derek lying practically on top of him with his head nestled in his neck. The young genius laughed and gently punched him in the arm.

"I'll just tell everyone we had a fight because you snore so loud."

"Oh, yeah? And I'll tell them you wouldn't stop quoting Star Trek in your sleep!"

They laughed and then were quiet for a moment, the only light in the room coming from the bedside lamp and the gleam of their skin. After Reid's breathing had become more rhythmic, Morgan sat up to turn off the light and set the alarm clock. Before he lay back down, he gently kissed Reid's forehead.

"I love you, Spencer Reid," he said, and moved in to sleep against Reid's body heat. When he was sure Morgan was sleeping, Spencer opened his eyes and ran his hand down Morgan's arm lovingly.

"I love you, too, Derek Morgan."

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	4. Thank God for Boy Genius

**So I definitely did not update this as soon as I said I would, and it is indeed the wee hours of the morning. But there's a lot that happens in this chapter, and it's mostly just plot development and fluff, but I hope you enjoy it! Trust me, I want Spencer to lose his virginity as much as everyone else, but he keeps nagging me and saying it's not the right time yet :( But it'll happen soon! **

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**Chapter 4: Thank God for Boy Genius**

'_Baby Girl, it's so early. You really want me to talk about this now?'_

Reid woke up in the hard hotel bed to sounds of Morgan talking on the phone. He was sitting on the edge of the other bed that hadn't been slept in, staring out the window as he talked to Garcia. Spencer just stared at his lover's naked back and, even though he knew that he shouldn't, listened to the conversation.

Morgan hadn't expected Garcia to call at seven in the morning, but the technical analyst had insisted. So Morgan slipped as carefully as he could off the bed so he didn't wake Spencer and talked to her.

"I'm afraid that I won't get to talk to you alone once we all get back on the case! And I just couldn't sleep last night knowing something is wrong with my dark Adonis and I'm not there to be his magical Aphrodite and save the day. I've been up since five waiting for an appropriate time to call you!"

Morgan sighed and ran his hand across his face.

"Penelope, I just don't think over the phone is a good time to talk about this…" he began.

"Chocolate honey bear, please tell me. I can't help but worry about you and who knows how long this case will last?" she pleaded with him. "Please, tell me what's going on." Morgan just sighed and ran his head over his scalp.

"Well before I say anything, I just want you to know that I'm fine now, what happened will never happen again, I promise. And I need you to promise to keep your cool for a moment, little lady, and hear me out." Garcia promised. "Penelope, I tried to kill myself."

Spencer strained to hear anything coming from the speaker, but all was silent. Penelope Garcia was speechless, for once in her life. Morgan continued to talk.

"I was really messed up after that last case I was on, and I felt like a failure and didn't see the point in going on." He didn't think it was necessary to say he'd been rip roaring drunk at the time. "But Spencer got there in time, and I'm fine, and it's not going to happen again."

Reid couldn't really understand the tirade that came from the phone's earpiece, but he could tell that Garcia was angry, and crying, and Morgan had to hold the phone away from his ear to keep from bursting an ear drum. Spencer was pretty sure he heard the words, "Thank god for Boy Genius."

"Baby Girl! Please calm down. Spencer is still asleep and I'm pretty sure your angelic voice just caused an avalanche somewhere in Switzerland," Morgan said before he turned to look at Spencer. Reid hadn't moved fast enough to pretend to be asleep and instead got up to make coffee. "Never mind, you woke him up," Derek finished.

They finished their conversation with the promise of talking more once the case was over. Derek sighed and moved to stand behind Reid, wrapping his arms around his bony frame as Reid poured coffee for both of them. Spencer felt a shiver go up his spine as their naked forms pressed together, and Derek leaned his head against the back of Spencer's neck.

"Pretty Boy, that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," he said and sighed. Spencer set the coffee down and turned around to wrap his arms around Derek's neck. They held each other for a few moments.

The alarm clock went off on the bedside table and Derek moved to turn it off.

"I'm going to take a shower," Spencer said, following him to place a kiss on his shoulder. "You're welcome to join me." And with that he walked into the bathroom.

The room was steamy by the time Derek had registered what Spencer had said and had joined him. He cheered up as he stepped into the warm water. Spencer was washing his body with a bar of soap and Derek couldn't help but just stand and admire his beautiful, lithe body. He stepped up behind the genius and massaged his shoulders, both of them getting hit by the warm water. Reid turned around and started to kiss Derek softly and slowly, while simultaneously running the soap across his back. Derek ran his hands through Spencer's thick hair and massaged his scalp. Their hips ground against each other, and even though they knew that they would soon have to get ready for work, they both had growing erections.

Suddenly, the soap slipped out of Spencer's hand and landed on the shower floor between them. They both looked down at it and smiled.

"Well, if that isn't the biggest cliché I've ever seen…" Derek said. Spencer laughed and turned off the shower.

"We need to get moving. Did you know that a ten minute shower with a regular showerhead can use up to 42 gallons of water? We actually just conserved a lot of water by showering together," he said, a flush growing on his cheeks.

Morgan groaned. He had really been hoping for a little more time with his young genius. He liked the sound of _his_ Reid. Morgan grabbed a towel and flicked it at Reid, who jumped away to avoid it, but his landing was interrupted by Morgan pressing him up against the bathroom door to kiss him a little bit longer. Finally, they parted, and they rested up against the door together, dripping onto the bathroom floor.

"Hey, I-uh…" Spencer started suddenly with a stiff voice that caused Derek to look up with concern.

"What is it Spencer?" he asked.

"I just… uhm I wanted to thank you for uh…" Spencer couldn't think of a good way to say it without rambling, "…for not pressuring me last night to have sex. I know it must be hard because of the lifestyle you used to live before our relationship and it's probably awkward with me since it would be my first time and-" Derek cut off his words with a kiss.

"Spencer Reid, I don't want to have sex with you until you're ready. And I want _our_ first time to be special, not in a hotel room, and not while we're on a case," Derek said, kissing him again and stepping away show him his back.

"Do you see these scars on my back, Spencer? That's because you pulled me outta that tub and gave me CPR so I could live to go do my job and see my sisters get married and finish living my life. I don't care about my previous lifestyle, I love you. If it weren't for you I would still be feeling like a victim and wanting to put myself out of my misery." Suddenly he stopped and stared at a space behind Spencer's head.

Spencer was speechless. Derek had used the L-word… and he hadn't been asleep. He moved closer to tell Derek that he loved him as well when the agent suddenly left the bathroom. He dialed a number on his phone while simultaneously grabbing a pair of briefs and pulling them on while searching for a clean pair of pants.

"Garcia, I need you to run the victims names again for me, but with different parameters. Spencer, call Hotch, tell him we've got the profile completely wrong. We need to meet in the lobby as soon as possible," he said, and all love was forgotten, and it was replaced by the case.

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**So... how 'bout that new episode of Criminal Minds tonight? ;) **


	5. Breaking the Case

**So... um... it'd be cool if you guys didn't hate me. I'm sorry it took so long to post, this chapter wasn't coming out right, and then my family and friends decided that, despite my best wishes, they _needed_ to celebrate the day of my birth, despite my hatred of it. And then class and work started up again and college doesn't let me get sleep soooo... combine all that and you have really bad procrastination.**

**Good news: The next chapter is written, and it is oh so smut tastic and extremely long. I'll probably upload it tomorrow, but I need sleep in a big way**

**Also, I didn't proofread this, and I don't use a beta but I think everyone should be aware that this chapter and the next were written while I was drinking a bit... so no promises on proper grammar!**

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**Chapter 5: Breaking the Case**

After dressing quickly, the two FBI agents sprinted to the lobby to meet with the others. Hotch and Rossi looked as though they'd been up for hours, probably reviewing the case, but JJ's hair was up in a messy bun and Prentiss was wearing an uncharacteristic sweatshirt.

"Is that a hickey?" Prentiss asked as Morgan came into view. Spencer looked at Morgan's neck and discovered with a shock that there was a bruise on his clavicle. Morgan didn't miss a beat and deflected it with a lie.

"I fell out of bed last night, hit my shoulder on the side table. That's not the point. The profile is wrong. It's a woman, but she's an angel of death," Morgan said. The team looked around at each other, but Reid suddenly made the connection.

"Oh, I get it! She's putting the two rape victims out of their misery. But what about the others?" Reid asked, opening his shoulder bag and pulling out the files to pass around to the others.

Morgan nodded. "Garcia is running the names now. One was molested by her father, but there's only a brief mention of it from a grade school teacher and the subject never came up again. And the others…"

"It's thought that more than half of rapes go unreported," Reid interjected, "And many rape cases don't even end in a conviction. That might be motivation to not bother telling anyone else but…" This time it was Prentiss who came up with the next connection.

"Sometimes when you're drinking you end up talking to anyone, especially a harmless woman who could possibly be sympathizing with you," she said. Hotch and Rossi looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Great job guys. Morgan and Prentiss, go back to the bar owners and see if there are any women who seem to fit the profile. It'll be some matronly, who has no qualms about talking to complete strangers, especially intoxicated women. Reid, you'll go to the station with JJ and work on the geographic profile. Rossi and I will take half of the bars to cover more ground. Call us if you get a name," Hotch said and everyone split off to leave.

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Though she was trying her best to hide it, Derek could feel Emily's eyes watching him as he drove the SUV downtown. He glanced at her as he followed the GPS to the first bar.

"Emily, I know you are secretly dying to know why I've been gone," he said. He saw her nod her head slowly out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, but if you don't want to talk…"

"It's okay, Em, I just wanted to talk to you in private. I tried to kill myself. But I'm okay now. Spencer saved me, and I'm doing so much better. I just wanted to tell you myself, and in person," he said with a sigh. "But I'm really okay. I promise. In fact, I'm doing great."

Prentiss' face barely betrayed emotion, as was her style. But when she looked up at Morgan, there was a watery quality to them and he worried that she might cry. But it was soon replaced with a tiny spark.

"So you and Spencer? I've been waiting a long time for this one," she said, and couldn't help but giggle at the look on Derek's face. He was about to ask how she had known, but she cut him off. "I'm very observant, Morgan. Comes with the perks of compartmentalizing. I keep my shit holed away, and in the process I get to notice the little interactions between you and Reid. You didn't complain about sharing a room with him, he called you every day when you were gone, and he was so incredibly worried during cases where he couldn't be with you." Derek sighed and allowed a smile to come onto his face.

"He was really worried about me?" he asked, and Prentiss rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. All that, and you can't stop staring into each other's eyes."

"Does anyone else know?" Derek asked. Prentiss shook her head.

"I don't believe so. And I'm not telling," she said as she put a friendly hand on his shoulder. "And I know I have trouble showing emotion, but know that I am glad that Spencer found you that day. And I'm especially glad that you two have found each other." He smiled widely at her as they pulled into the parking lot, but before they got out of the car she added one more thing.

"And if you hurt him, the entire team will make you pay."

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The UnSub had been found relatively quickly with the new profile. Angela Burton was cooperative when the FBI showed up at her home, but she wailed and cried about how she was helping those women in a way that no one would help her. She had been raped by her uncle and it had not resulted in a conviction, and his death five years prior had been her trigger to help give justice to women like her.

Back at the station, the team congratulated Morgan for breaking the case. Rossi patted him on the back as he packed up the files.

"Great job today, Morgan. I'm glad your back. I don't know how this team would ever survive without you." He smiled knowingly and Derek nodded his head and returned the smile. As the others took their luggage to the SUV that would take them to the jet, Morgan heard a softer voice clear its throat.

"Great job, Derek," Spencer said as Derek turned around to see the nervous brunette. Reid looked around the empty conference room quickly before leaning in and giving Morgan a quick peck on the lips. "Want to, ah, watch a movie tonight? We can order out and, uh, eat at your place?"

Morgan grinned widely.

"I'd like that Pretty Boy, and I know Clooney misses you sleepin' over."

The both smiled like school children and walked to the SUV together.

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This chapter is awful, but I promise the next one won't disappoint :)**


	6. Let Me Take Care of You

**The moment you (and I) have been waiting for. Also, please excuse my grammar, I don't beta and I wrote this while drinking some Southern Comfort at four in the morning. **

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**Chapter 6: Let Me Take Care of You**

The team got some of the paperwork done on the jet, and so once they returned back to the B.A.U. they were cleared to go home. Of course, Morgan couldn't leave without being fretted over by Penelope Garcia.

"Derek Morgan, my big beautiful chocolate bunny, my gorgeous epitome of all things good and wonderful, if you pull a stunt like that again I'll…"

"Baby Girl, I told you, everything is fine. Go home, get some rest, and I guarantee you'll see me tomorrow," he said to sedate her. After a few more hugs and violent threats to call his mother, Garcia finally let him go home. When he walked to his SUV he saw Spencer leaning against the door, waiting for him.

"I took the bus the day I left for the last case, remember? I'd appreciate a ride."

The two men drove home in relative silence, talking only of what movie they would watch, or what food they would order, or how Clooney was doing. It was like any other time that Derek Morgan had driven his best friend home, except this time they were holding hands the entire drive. They pulled in the driveway and sat in the car for a few moments. Finally, Morgan spoke.

"Prentiss knows," he said, and Reid turned to look at him with a confused look. "She knows that we're dating. She knows that you're my boyfriend." Reid couldn't help but smile a little at the term.

"It's not really surprising, she's one of our best friends and she's an amazing profiler. I only wish I could say that we had done a better job of hiding it," Reid said, shrugging. Morgan didn't respond for a moment.

"Why do we have to hide it? I want to kiss you in public. I want to take you on dates. I want to… I don't know, change my Facebook relationship status or something." Reid laughed at that.

"Morgan, neither you, nor I has a Facebook. And if we reveal the nature of our relationship, it could cost us our jobs, if not Hotch's as well. But this," Reid leaned over to him and gave him a long kiss, "This I don't mind doing in public. As long as it doesn't appear at work." They kissed once more. "Come on, let's go inside. I know Clooney is dying to see you, and I don't want him to jump on me in excitement."

The two got out of the car carrying their go bags, to greet the large animal. But before Morgan opened the door, he grabbed Reid around the waist and started kissing him on the front porch, for all the neighbors to see. His tongue briefly slid in Reid's mouth, and they only pulled away when they heard a loud purposeful cough from a man taking a walk in the early winter evening. Derek just laughed at him and gave Spencer one more quick kiss before opening the door.

As was expected, Clooney was ecstatic to see them. The neighbor who watched him while Morgan was away on cases had given him a rawhide bone, and he pressed the slobbery bone into Reid's hand. Derek just laughed and threw Reid a towel as he let the Doberman outside.

"So did you actually want to watch a movie, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked, throwing his arms around Reid's waist and pulling him close. Reid blushed. Morgan loved that blush, it reminded him of how pure Spencer was. He slid his hands down to Spencer's ass and gave it a quick squeeze, causing Spencer to jump forward. Both men felt a warmth shooting down to their stomachs. Instead of answering, Reid leaned in to kiss him passionately, pushing Morgan's leather jacket off of his shoulders. Morgan tossed the coat to the couch and started unbuttoning the large buttons of Spencer's coat.

Before they could continue any further, there was a scratching and barking coming from the back door.

"Tell you what, you meet me in the bedroom, let me feed Clooney real quick and I'll…" Morgan accentuated the last few words with kisses, "be… there… soon." After one last kiss Spencer smiled and walked as calmly as he could to the bedroom, taking off his coat and sitting on the bed to take off his shoes and socks. Morgan entered quickly, closing the door to prevent the dog from following. He threw their coats onto the foot of the bed and proceeded to push Spencer down. Morgan kicked his shoes off while simultaneously pulling Spencer's shirt over his head, the only sound being their muffled kisses and quiet groans. Spencer tugged at Derek's tight shirt, moaning a little louder as Derek sucked on his bottom lip. Their teeth ground together as they ungracefully tried to undress each other. Finally, they were both shirtless, their items of clothing lying discarded on the floor. Spencer opened his legs to let Derek move between them, and they could both feel the bulge in their pants as they ground against each other.

Derek started making his way down Spencer's body, his tongue dancing over what he knew were his lover's pressure points. Spencer moaned and unbuckled Derek's belt and started trying to unbuckle his own, but Derek stopped him.

"Uh-uh, Pretty Boy, let me take care of that for you," he said, moving his hand to Spencer's leg. He used his mouth to make his way to Spencer's navel, pausing there for barely a moment and then moving to nibble on his hip bone. Meanwhile, one hand teasingly slid up the inside of Spencer's thigh and barely brushed his manhood, before going to work on unlocking the belt buckle. The other hand reached up and pinched Reid's nipple, causing the younger man to moan loudly with a start.

"Come on, Derek, quit teasing!" he complained, although he had to admit he was enjoying the attention. Derek just laughed and quickly discarded of Reid's pants, his boxers coming down along with them. Now Spencer lay completely naked on the bed, with Morgan quickly losing his own pants with urgency. He moved up to kiss Spencer roughly, their mouths meeting roughly as they entwined with each other, a mess of pale and dark limbs knotting together.

"De…Derek?" Reid stopped and panted out. Morgan looked concerned.

"What is it, baby? Do you want us to stop?" he asked. He hoped he hadn't been moving too fast. Spencer blushed and shook his head but didn't answer. Derek kissed him again. "Then what's wrong?" he asked. Spencer bit his lip and closed his eyes.

"I want to do it, Derek. I want to make love to you. Right now."

Derek gaped at him.

"Are you positive, Spencer? I mean, I want to, too, but only if you are ready." Spencer nodded, and Derek kissed him roughly again before moving his fingers to Spencer's mouth. "I need you to get these ready for me, so I can get you ready for me," Morgan said as an explanation. Reid understood and took Derek's fingers into his mouth for a bit. Morgan could feel how nervous Spencer was.

"It's okay, Spence, I'll take good care of you," he said, taking his fingers out of Spencer's mouth. To calm him, he moved down and sucked gently on Spencer's tip while cautiously probing his entrance. Spencer threw his head back and moaned as one finger slid in. Morgan was careful to make sure Reid was enjoying himself before adding another finger. Spencer was uncomfortable-he had never had this experience before—but he had to admit it felt good. Really good, in fact. Derek scissored his fingers and Spencer moaned his lover's name. Derek was getting so turned on that it took all of his self control not to just take Spencer right then and there. He added another finger while simultaneously taking all of Reid into his mouth, and once he felt comfortable, Reid began to push against Derek's hand. After finally adding a fourth finger, Derek decided it was time.

Sitting up on his knees, he leaned over to bedside table and pulled out a condom and some lube from his pocket. He slid on the condom and put a large amount of lube on his erection, and then put some on Reid's entrance again. Reid shivered a bit from the cold gel.

"Sorry, Pretty Boy, I should've warmed it up first," Morgan said, positioning himself at Reid's entrance. He leaned down and kissed Reid passionately again. "Are you sure you want to do this, Spencer? Because as badly as I want this, I want even more to do this when you're ready."

Spencer leaned up and kissed him back.

"I'm ready, Derek."

And with that, Derek pressed slowly into Reid's entrance. Spencer groaned into Derek's mouth as they kissed, his eyes watering a bit at the pain. Derek pulled out and back in again, angling a little higher this time. This time, the moan was one of pleasure. Spencer was enjoying the feeling of Derek inside of him.

"Faster, Derek. I'm ready," he said and Derek kissed him hard with a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, Pretty Boy, I wasn't sure how much longer I could go slow."

He started pumping faster into Spencer, kissing roughly and angling a little different every time. Finally, he hit the spot he was looking for.

"Oh my God, Derek!" Spencer yelled, as Derek stroked his prostate again. Derek laughed into his mouth and started going faster and harder, the bed beneath them rocking with the movement. He could feel Spencer's loose erection between them, and he grabbed it and began pumping with the motions. He was already starting to get close, and he wanted to make sure that Spencer came with him. Their combined moans were loud enough to have Clooney barking and whining at the door, wondering if his master was in danger.

"Derek… I'm getting close… Der-" Amidst the chaos, Spencer managed to get a few words out before arching his back and nearly yelling at the top of his lungs, his seed spilling out onto their stomachs. Morgan was close behind him, and after a few more strokes he grabbed Spencer's hips as his orgasm washed over him, leaving them both sticky and sweaty.

Derek pulled out of Spencer and tossed the used condom into the trash.

"Baby, you okay?" he asked as he rolled to the other side of the bed, pulling Reid to nestle onto his chest. Reid murmured in assent, too out of breath to speak at the moment, as he cuddled into Derek's shoulder. When he finally caught his breath after a few moments in the afterglow, he said:

"Derek, this morning, before you solved the case, you said something… I just can't get it out of my head. Eidetic memory or not, I'll never forget it." Before he could ask if Derek meant it, he was cut off.

"I know Pretty Boy, I wish I would have said it in a more romantic setting, without having run off immediately. But I did mean it. I have never felt this way about anyone before. I think I love you, Spencer, I really think I've fallen for you, and I've fallen hard. And if you don't want to say it back, I completely understand. I know it's really early in our official relationship, but I have known you for so long, and I think I've loved you since the day I met you, it just took awhile for my thick head to process it. But I know I love you," Derek Morgan said, turning his head to look down at Spencer on his shoulder. Spencer leaned up and kissed him.

"I've known that I loved you, since the day we met. I just never thought that in a million years, I would ever get to hear you say it back. I love you Derek Morgan," Reid said. They lay in blissful silence for a few minutes, listening to each other's heart beat, before they both drifted off to sleep.

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**:) My first sex scene, how'd I do? **


	7. UnusuallyPerky

**I'm sorry I haven't updated. Needless to say, _life_ keeps getting in the way. I'm considering dropping out of college to become a hobo who writes fanfiction on public library computers. Good news, I figured out a way to encompass everything I wanted to address in this chapter. These next few chapters will be action packed! Reviews tend to make me publish faster!**

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Chapter 7: Unusually...Perky**

Morning came way too quickly for Derek Morgan. The blaring alarm went off at seven, as usual, but what was unusual was his lack of blankets covering his body. He groggily opened his eyes and saw Spencer's messy hair and closed eyes peeking out of the blankets the younger man had stolen during the night. Morgan hit the alarm and watched Spencer sleep for a few minutes.

_They had made love._

It was all Derek could think about as he brushed his teeth and went downstairs to the living room to take care of Clooney and do his morning workout. Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid had done the deed. They had had sex. Morgan almost couldn't believe it. And yet, every detail was fresh in his brain.

He had just finished his sit ups when he heard the shower running. After quickly starting the coffee maker, he climbed the stairs and walked in to Reid, naked, staring at the wall above the sink.

"You replaced it while I was gone?" Reid asked, looking at the large mirror. He remembered clearly the shards of the previous mirror all over the floor and covered in blood, and even as he tried to banish the thought he could see the scars all over Morgan's body from just a few weeks ago. Morgan climbed into the shower that Reid had started.

"Yeah. A bathroom needs a mirror, kid. I didn't think it was a big deal," He poured some body wash into his hand and began to lather up. "Come on in here, we're conserving water, remember?" He chuckled and pulled on Reid's hand. Reid looked like he wanted to keep talking but the sight of Morgan's soapy body in the shower made him decide to let it go for the moment.

Reid stepped into the shower and was immediately drawn into a long kiss. He could feel muscular arms wrap around his waist and pull them close together. "How are you feeling today?" A husky voice asked in his ear before Morgan's lips started sucking on his collar bone. Reid's breath hitched and he moaned softly before answering.

"A- a little sore I guess. Understandably so but," he ground his hips into Morgan's, who groaned and pushed back, "…I really enjoyed it." Their lips locked again, Reid's wet hair hanging between them and Morgan pushed him against the shower wall. They both could feel their erections pushing against the other's and Spencer slid his hand down start stroking Derek's cock. They broke apart for a moment.

"Spencer, I don't want to push my luck but do you want to…" Derek's question was answered as Spencer crashed his lips into his and began stroking harder. Suddenly, Morgan flipped Spencer so that they were both facing the shower wall and began biting softly on the back of his neck. "Spencer… Are you positive?" he asked as he stuck two fingers in Spencer's entrance to prepare him. Spencer shuddered at the sudden intrusion as Derek worked to make the opening wider.

"Spencer, we don't have to-"

"Do it, Derek."

Morgan laughed and leaned in to whisper in Spencer's ear.

"Do what, Spencer?" he asked seductively. Spencer groaned in impatience and whispered his reply.

"Fuck me, Derek."

Morgan couldn't wait any longer. He pushed his cock completely into Reid's tight ass, holding him tightly by the hips. Reid let out a pained moan as he felt Derek thrust once; he hadn't expected it to still hurt.

"I'm sorry, Pretty Boy, I forgot myself," Derek said in his ear, and he began moving in and out slower, giving Spencer time to adjust. He snuck one arm around Spencer's waist, beginning to stroke the younger man in time with his thrusts. Reid's clenched fists opened to lay flat on the tiled wall.

"Derek, faster."

His bare chest hit the shower wall as Morgan began thrusting harder and faster. The new position was making it nearly impossible for Derek to miss hitting Spencer's prostate, and it sent sparks of pleasure flying through his body each time, causing him to groan louder and louder. Spencer's sweet voice only made Derek want him more and the hand that wasn't pleasuring Spencer was now clamped on his shoulder, giving him more leverage. He could feel himself getting closer to the edge but he held on so that he wouldn't come before Spencer.

Slamming a fist against the wall, Reid threw his head back and yelled Morgan's name. Derek could feel Spencer release against the wall. Derek moaned and let himself follow suit, allowing himself to explode inside his lover.

They panted as they collapsed against the tile wall. Spencer pulled one of Derek's hands in front of him and kissed his palm, and Derek wrapped his other arm around his waist and hugged him close, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. The now cold water was splashing against his back and he was reminded that they both had work that day. Morgan sighed.

"I love you, Spencer, and I wish we could just hold each other like this all day, but we have a job to do," he said, disentangling their limbs. Reid turned and kissed Derek once more.

"Go ahead and get ready. I have to shampoo my hair still." Derek laughed and stepped out of the shower. He dressed and made two cups of coffee, one with extra sugar, and returned to the bedroom just as Spencer was putting on his mismatched socks. He handed the mug of coffee to him and sat on the edge of the clean bed. Spencer must have made it before he got in the shower. They each sipped their coffee and put on their shoes in serene silence, and whenever one would glance at the other he could see a contented look on his face.

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Derek drove Spencer to his house early, so that Spencer could get his car and refill his go bag with new sets of clothes. It had been decided that Spencer would spend the night again. On their way over, Morgan laid a hand on Reid's.

"I was thinking, Spence, if we don't get a case today, it's likely that we'll get the day off tomorrow, right?"

Spencer nodded. "And I doubt we'll take a case today. Hotch wouldn't do that to us after two back to back cases. Why?" he asked. Derek just shrugged and smiled.

"I was just thinking that I want to take you on a proper date. Can I take you out to dinner tonight?" They pulled into Reid's apartment complex and Morgan smiled over at him. Spencer blushed and grinned.

"Y-yeah I'd like that. I'd like that a lot, actually," Spencer said, and Derek leaned over and kissed him.

"Awesome. I love you, Spencer," he kissed him again, "but if we're going to get to work on time, you need to stop looking so kissable and get out of my car." Spencer just laughed and pushed his shoulder playfully.

"It's not my fault I'm so ridiculously good looking," said Spencer, getting his coffee and climbing out of the SUV. Derek just smiled as he backed out of his parking spot to drive to the BAU.

Emily Prentiss looked suspicious as a particularly happy looking Derek Morgan ruffled her hair on his way to his desk. Her suspicions were answered as Reid got out of the elevator a short time later, a playful grin plastered across his face as well. It didn't take a profiler to see that something was different about them. Penelope bounced over on her way to fill her coffee mug.

"Hey, Em, what's with our boys on this fine day? They seem unusually…perky." JJ walked towards them with a large stack of files, passing one of them to Prentiss.

"Yeah, something is odd. What's got them so happy?" Emily didn't know how to answer without giving too much away, so she told the truth… or a half-truth anyway.

"Maybe they got laid?" They all laughed. JJ continued walking to hand out more files.

"I guess it was bound to happen," she said, "I mean, Reid's a nice looking guy, and Morgan's a player. Logic says that they'd eventually get some on the same night." Garcia feigned a swoon.

"Wouldn't it be so sexy if they were… Well never mind…" Garcia couldn't finish her thought without all the girls bursting out into giggles. Prentiss was partially laughing at how accurate her friends were.

"What is oh so hilarious, ladies?" Morgan asked, walking towards them to fill his coffee mug. JJ stifled her laughter and pushed a stack of files into his arms.

"Oh, nothing. You wouldn't mind giving Reid his stack of paperwork, would you?" And with that the three girls laughed even harder and JJ and Penelope walked back to their respective offices in a fit of laughter. Morgan shot a suspicious look at Prentiss.

"I didn't say anything, Scout's honor," she said. Morgan just rolled his eyes.

"You were never a Girl Scout," he said and walked back to his desk to give Reid their paperwork. He was a little nauseated at the sight of all the work, but he was happy about one thing. Paperwork meant no case, and no case meant that he got a night off with Spencer Reid.

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**Also, I have to brag. The head make up artist on CM responded to one of my tweets! I geeked out! Please review!**


	8. The RestaurantProfile Yourself

**I'm so sorry but life keeps getting in the way of me publishing. This is actually two chapters in one, because you guys deserve it. I'm working on the next chapter as we speak. Again, I'm really sorry for the erratic updates. All I can say is hopefully they will become more regular as my plot starts to get itself pulled together! I love you guys so much, and thanks for the reviews and the support!**

**WARNING: This chapter contains strong language, and though personally it hurt me to even type these words, I felt it was necessary for the story. I'm terribly sorry if I offend anyone.**

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**Chapter 8: The Restaurant/Profile Yourself**

The day was over. After hours of excruciating paperwork and secret glances sent to each other, Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid were dying to take down the low cubicle wall that was separating them. Reid felt a paper ball hit his head and he looked up to see Morgan snickering at him. He opened the paper and saw a message.

'_Hey, you didn't answer my text. Do you want me to pick you up or do you want to meet at the restaurant?'_ Reid scribbled a note on the back. _'I think I left my phone at your place. I'll just meet you at the restaurant, I have to take care of some things back at my apartment first.' _He threw the note back when he was positive nobody was looking. Derek just laughed and rolled his eyes before scribbling the time to meet and the address of the restaurant, which he had obviously just looked up on his computer, and throwing the note back and Reid pocketed it before standing up.

"Well, I'm finished with my work. I guess I'll see you all tomorrow?" As if on cue, Hotch emerged from his office.

"I don't think so guys. None of the incoming cases so far look like they are urgent so I want you guys to take tomorrow off and get some rest. Come back Monday ready to get back to work." The entire bullpen gave a collective sigh and Morgan winked at Spencer.

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you guys later." Reid said, putting on his coat and grabbing his bag, smiling widely. After he was gone, David Rossi poked his head out of his office.

"Morgan, could I see you for a moment, please?" Derek sighed. He still had three more files to go through, but he guessed they'd have to wait. He walked into Rossi's office. "Shut the door, if you don't mind," Rossi said. Derek did as he was asked with a confused look on his face.

"What's on your mind, Rossi?"

Rossi sighed and steepled his fingers.

"I know we said we weren't going to profile each other, Derek, but I can't help but notice a difference in your relationship with Reid, " he started, and Morgan moved to speak but was cut off. "Now I know you were in a rut and Spencer was there for you, but this is different. You don't have to tell me, but I want you to be careful."

Morgan sat in silence for a few moments before deciding on what to say.

"Rossi, any relationship I may or may not be having will not affect my ability to perform on this team. If anything," he added, "it will make me a better person and a better profiler." Rossi nodded.

"I know that, Derek, I am just warning you to be careful. This kind of…relationship is unconventional, if you know what I mean. Some people may not like it. And I don't have to remind you that, technically, fraternizing with fellow agents is strictly frowned upon." Morgan just nodded and looked at his hands. "But, you seem to be doing much better, so I am not going to discourage it. Just proceed with caution." Rossi finished. Morgan looked up at him and smiled.

"Thanks, Rossi." And he left to go finish his paperwork.

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'_Don't be so nervous. You look fine, and besides, Derek doesn't care how you dress. He's probably going to spend dinner imagining you undressed anyway.'_

Spencer smiled at the thought as he brushed his hair for the sixth time. His brunette locks were so unruly, and finally he just gave up. He was wearing his nicest pair of jeans, ones that he had only worn once before, and a button up shirt with sky blue pinstripes, slightly unbuttoned. The smell of cologne that his mother had bought him years ago was giving him a slight headache, but Reid knew that Morgan would appreciate the gesture. Still, he felt nervous. This was the first real date he had been on in awhile, and he was afraid of messing it up, somehow.

Spencer knew that Derek wanted this to be special, and he was going to try his hardest to make it special.

The restaurant was very easy to find. It was a quiet, old-fashioned place with low lights and a homey atmosphere in a rural suburb of Virginia. Reid was very early, but he hated waiting impatiently at home and decided he would rather get to the restaurant early.

"How many?" The hostess had asked him. Jen, as it said on her nametag, looked like she was still in high school but was still looking at Reid as if appraising his relationship status.

"Two, please," Reid replied, then nervously added. "Could we have a relatively private booth? It's uh… kind of a date." The hostess just chuckled at him, but it didn't take a profiler to see she was a bit put off by this news.

Jen-the-hostess sat him near the back corner of the restaurant, like he had asked. His only complaint was that there was a large party occupying the tables next to him, several tables having been pushed together. They weren't loud or annoying, Reid just worried about their reactions to a couple such as Morgan and Reid.

"Excuse me, could we possibly move—" Reid started to say, but his sentence was quickly cut off by a strong arm snaking around his waist and pulling him into a kiss.

"This is perfectly fine," Derek said as they broke apart, without sending a second glance to the hostess. If Reid though that she had been checking him out, it was nothing compared to the looks she was throwing Derek. She left to go seat a couple that had just walked in, and possibly to tell her coworkers about the interesting couple she had just met.

Morgan gave Reid one more peck on the lips before sitting down in the booth, grinning happily. Reid sat down across from him and couldn't help but smile back. As soon as he was seated, Morgan grasped Reid's hand from across the table, rubbing his thumb across his knuckles.

"You smell great tonight, Pretty Boy," Morgan said quietly, flashing another dazzling smile to Reid. The butterflies in his stomach felt like they were going to burst through his abdomen. _'Like that scene from the alien movie…' _Reid thought, but decided to keep that nerd moment to himself. He smiled back and they flipped through the menu, making small talk about the food and continuing to hold hands across the table. Suddenly Reid realized just how quiet it had gotten.

He looked over, and the party next to them were whispering amongst each other, throwing dirty looks their way. Morgan followed Reid's gaze and let out a dark chuckle that sounded a lot like a growl.

"Ignore them, Spence. They can mind their own damn business." And he turned back to look at the menu. But the party had seen Derek and Spencer acknowledge them, and one of them, a man Morgan's height but much stockier, approached the table. He looked Reid straight in the eye and refused to meet Morgan's eyes.

"Hello… um, how can we help you?" Spencer asked, gesturing to Derek, but still the man did not address him.

"You boys must not be from around here…" the man said, putting his arms on his hips and seeming to impose himself in their space. Spencer raised his eyebrows and responded.

"Well, actually we live and work in Quantico, but you are correct if you are referring to our city of origin. I'm from Las Vegas, and Derek, here," he gestured again to Morgan but still the man did not look at him, "is from Chicago. We are just having dinner." He was extremely nervous, but he could see that Morgan was profiling the man and trying to figure out how best to handle him. Suddenly the man laughed and turned to his friends.

"Hear that, guys? They're from Las Vegas and Chicago!" He turned back to Reid. "I guess they don't respect the Good Book in Las Vegas, do they? Or maybe you just don't have any respect for yourself or the Lord." Finally, Morgan stood up and put himself in front of Reid, forcing the man to look at him.

"Is that what this is about? Religion? Look, man, we're just here to have a nice meal, and you're entitled to your opinions but I really don't see how this is your business." He said, but suddenly one of the man's friends stood up and joined him.

"Hey, Jim, is this black sonofabitch talkin' back to you?" The other man said, pushing Derek against the table. Morgan's fists clenched and his temple was throbbing; Reid could tell it was taking all his energy not to attack both of them right there in the restaurant. He tried to say something but the first man, Jim, spoke again.

"Yeah, I think he was Todd. I was just trying to inform his faggot friend here that what he is doin' is a sin." Todd laughed and said another racial slur, and Morgan just snapped. He pulled a fist back and slammed it into Jim's face, and before he could do the same to Todd, Reid jumped out and stood between them.

"Derek! Derek, they aren't worth it. Look at me, Derek," and he pulled Morgan's face to look him in the eyes. "Don't stoop to their level, you're so much better than them. Please calm down, Derek. Do it for me." Meanwhile the manager of the restaurant had run out to pull the fight apart.

"Calm down, boys. What's going on here?" he bellowed, his cheeks becoming red. Patrons everywhere were staring at the group. Jen, the hostess, ran up waving her hands.

"Dad! I saw the whole thing, it's not their fault!" she said to the manager, running to stand beside Reid and Morgan. "Dad, Jim and Todd were antagonizing these men. They said…" and she quietly whispered the words into his ear. Reid silently thanked her with his eyes. Todd and Jim, who was sporting a bloody nose and what looked like the start of a black bruise on his cheek bone.

"We're out of here anyway, John. You've really lowered your standards for letting these two fags eat here." Morgan struggled against Reid, opening his mouth to yell something but John Davis, the manager, beat him to it.

"You ignorant bastards. I lowered my standards letting you boys back in here. Get out of my restaurant!" He said in a voice that was quiet, but in a tone that meant he was deadly serious. Morgan was immediately reminded of Hotch. The group left, a few of the women throwing down a few dollars out of courtesy, though it wasn't enough to cover the cost of their meal.

Morgan sat back down in the booth and put his forehead in the palm of his hand. He felt like shit. Not only did he feel like he had overreacted, but he couldn't help but let the words of those men get to him. He felt like screaming or throwing something, but the rational part of his brain told him to calm down.

The patrons had gone back to eating. Reid was talking to the manager. Morgan could hear him saying that they would pay for the other party's meals; it was the least they could do for causing a ruckus in the diner.

"I insist, it's the least we can do. You helped us break up the fight and you defended us, which is more than most would do in your position." Reid said, shooting worried glances towards Morgan. Mr. Davis finally allowed Reid to pay for the meal, and he returned to the booth.

"Do you want to leave? We could still eat if you want or we could just get coffee and dessert?" Reid asked, seeing how upset Morgan was. Morgan stirred out of his reverie and sighed.

"I'm sorry Pretty Boy, I'm sorry this night went so wrong…" he said. Reid just shrugged it off.

"It's not your fault. Let's just get a drink to calm down and then we'll head back to your place, all right?" He waved down a waiter and ordered a coffee, already reaching across the table to get packets of sugar ready. The waiter looked at Morgan expectantly. Morgan sighed.

"I'll have a beer, thanks," he said, and the waiter scurried off to get their drinks.

Reid stared at Morgan with sad eyes and a gaping mouth.

"Derek, I thought you were going to quit drinking…" he said quietly, moving his eyes to stare at his hands. Derek just rolled his eyes and huffed.

"I never said I was going to stop drinking, Reid. I'm not an alcoholic. I just took a break from it because it seemed to bother you. The incident a few weeks ago isn't going to repeat itself just because I have a few drinks. Right now, I want a beer and I don't see anything wrong with that," Morgan finished just as the waiter came back with their coffee and beer. Morgan immediately began sipping from the glass, taking a long swallow and emitting a satisfying 'Ah' when he stopped. Reid just sat silently for a moment, not touching his coffee just yet.

"I just wish you wouldn't drink when you get angry. People who develop addictions usually start it as a result of stress and if you want we can go to Clean Cops meetings together—"

"Reid!" Derek cut Spencer off by using his last name. "I know you have all these statistics about addiction but I don't have a problem. You don't have to patronize me. I know it probably makes you feel better thinking that I have an addiction to battle like you did but alcohol and Dilaudid are two different things—" He was interrupted when Reid stood up suddenly.

"Derek Morgan, profile yourself for a change. I'll see you at work," and with that Reid grabbed his coat, phone and wallet, and walked out the door. Morgan just sighed and slammed his fist on the table.

'_You really fucked it up this time, Morgan.' _

He decided to let Reid have his space and he finished his beer and ordered another, relocating to the bar area.

Reid could feel tears stinging his eyes, and he was shaking so badly that he could barely open the car door. He fumbled with his keys and finally unlocked the door, tossing his coat onto the passenger seat.

Suddenly, he felt a pain in the back of his head and everything went black.

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**Boo Morgan! Be nice! I'm sorry to make him a meanie, but he has every right to be a little upset, am I right?**

**Reviews make me write faster!**


	9. Zealots

**Wow, my writer's block is completely gone! And this chapter should get you pumped, because I've already written half of the next chapter. I feel like everything is starting to come together! And I know I don't do this nearly enough, but thank you all so much for the reviews, they really do make me feel awesome and make me want to get back to writing. Thanks so much guys! **

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Chapter 9: Zealots**

'_It's pitch black… Where am I?'_

That was the first thought that came to Spencer's mind when he opened his eyes. He was lying almost completely face down on a concrete floor. He struggled to move to touch the back of his head and was immediately rewarded with sharp pains coming from his wrists to his arms. Ropes bound his hands together behind his back, and he figured they had been stuck like that for a long time. His head was pounding, and it took all of his strength to stay conscious and to not panic. He tried to stretch out his legs and found a wall preventing him doing so. He rolled over a bit and found a wall to his back, and another one right above his head. Fear took him and he started to hyperventilate.

'_Oh my god… have I been buried alive?'_

All his thoughts focused on the darkness and the claustrophobia. Finally, he wiggled himself into a sitting position and discovered that he was not, as he had suspected, in a coffin. As he kicked his unbound legs to the other wall he felt a door wobble on its hinges.

'_I'm in a closet… What the hell happened?'_

Slowly he remembered the disastrous date with Derek, their fight, and the sudden pain in the back of his head when he had unlocked his car. His coat was gone but he was still dressed, and he could feel something wet, probably blood, dripping onto the back of his neck. Kidnapped again was his conclusion. Spencer would bet money that the guys at the restaurant, Jim and Todd, had something to do with it. If they were behind it, he knew he might not have much longer to live. He started to panic again.

"Help! Is somebody there?" he screamed, agitating his headache. "Please! Somebody help me!" Claustrophobia and his fear of the dark started to overwhelm him, and he could feel tears streaming down his face. He realized he hadn't been blindfolded; he was most likely going to die. He cried harder and screamed louder. "Help me! Derek! Please, help me!"

As it was, the pain at the back of his head prevented him from continuing, and he leaned back against the wall and slowly drifted into unconsciousness again.

* * *

Morgan woke in his soft bed, rolling over to embrace the warm figure beside him. Without opening his eyes, he reached up to run his fingers through his hair. It was different: coarse, short, nearly a buzz cut.

"Spencer? Did you get a haircut or something?" he asked, opening his eyes with a confused look. Clooney, who had probably snuck into the bed sometime when Morgan was asleep, licked Morgan's face in morning greeting and ran downstairs to the kitchen. Morgan chuckled and rolled onto his back and glanced at the clock. It was 8:30; even when he had the day off he had a hard time sleeping in.

'_Wonder where Spence is?' _he thought to himself, getting up and putting on sweatpants and a t-shirt. At that thought the memories of last night came flooding back. He only had a few drinks at the bar and decided to go home, feeling guilty about drinking when he knew it hurt Reid so much. He groaned loudly to himself and looked at his phone. Reid hadn't even called him. Before he could throw the phone back on the dresser, it started to ring and _Hotch_ appeared on the caller ID.

"Yeah, Hotch?" he answered gruffly, in a bad mood after Reid's and his first fight as a couple on top of the incident at the restaurant. Unfortunately, his mood was worsening as Hotch brought up the very person he was thinking about.

"Morgan. Do you know where Reid is? I need his reading skills at the office today for a few hours and he's not answering his home phone and his cell phone goes straight to voicemail. Prentiss said you would know better than she would." Morgan frowned. It was unlike Reid to not answer his phone. Especially when Hotch called.

"No, we hung out after the case last night and… well I haven't seen him since then. I can try to call him and let him know. Maybe he's just somewhere without service." He could hear Hotch's rough sigh on the other end.

"Okay, let me know if you hear anything. If not, I may have to have you and Prentiss come and help me with some of these profiles." And with that he hung up.

Morgan dialed Reid's number next. He was unprepared for who answered.

* * *

Reid woke up to large arms dragging him from the room. He shut his eyes tightly to prevent him from seeing his kidnapper.

"Please, let me go, I haven't seen your face yet. You could blindfold me now and drop me off in the middle of nowhere and you'll never get caught. I promise. Please, I don't want to die." Reid knew he was pleading, but he was terrified. All of his nightmares from Hankle, and now he felt like he was stuck in one.

He felt himself dragged to a chair and his legs tied tightly to it. He was too tired and weak to struggle; after all, he hadn't eaten at the restaurant last night. The perpetually silent UnSub walked around and unbound his wrists, only to tie them to the arm rests. His eyes still shut tightly, Reid noted that the man was particularly gentle, and deduced that it was probably not Jim or Todd as he had previously thought. Finally, the man spoke.

"Open your eyes, son. I am not going to blindfold you." The voice was soft and kind and Spencer, realizing his defeat, opened his eyes. He must have looked stunned because his kidnapper let out a soft chuckle.

The man was a priest. He was probably in his late 40s, muscular, with sparkling blue eyes and graying blonde hair.

And they were what appeared to be a wine cellar. At least this room was well lit. Spencer could see the closet he had spent the night—or had it been a full day yet?—in and he shuddered at the tight space. There was a small furnace in the corner of the room and a few shelves housing a variety of wine. Reid's coat was lying on a work table between the furnace and another door. His analysis of the room was broken by the voice of the priest, who had sat in a stool across from him.

"I'm so sorry I kept you waiting, but I was performing a mass. Would you like a drink of water? I am sure you are thirsty." He reached behind his stool and pulled up a plastic bottle of water. Reid could see that it was unopened, but he wasn't going to play into the man's fantasy, at least until he knew what exactly it was.

"Suit yourself, Spencer. You'll be thirsty later." At Reid's confusion he tilted his head toward his coat. "I checked your wallet for your name, hope you don't mind. A real FBI agent, wow, that's something…" He chuckled and his eyes laughed with him. Reid shuddered. "I assume you know why you're here, correct?" Reid attempted to shake his head, but it hurt too badly and he was forced to talk with his kidnapper.

"Because religious zealots have a penchant for kidnapping me?"

The priest frowned.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that but I can assure you that I am not, as you said, a 'zealot.' I do follow God's law, however, and if you consider that extreme then maybe you are worse off than I thought. Spencer," he leaned forward and put a hand on the agent's shoulder, despite his flinch. "I'm here to save you." He removed his hand and stood up to grab Spencer's coat before stopping to stand next to him. "I'll let you dwell on that for awhile, until you are ready for a confession." He walked to the steps behind Reid's chair as Reid began to plead again, but as the priest climbed the stairs a loud jingle broke the tension from the room.

Spencer's phone had gotten a signal, and somebody was calling him.

After a moment of staring at the phone, the priest looked at Spencer.

"'Derek Morgan?' Is that the man you were with last night?" Spencer didn't move or say anything. "I'll take that as a 'Yes.'" And to Spencer's horror, he heard the phone flip open.

"Hello, Derek. I'm sure you are looking for Spencer. But don't worry your little head about it, he will be held accountable for his sins, and…" he was interrupted by Spencer's sudden screaming.

"Derek! Please let me talk to him! Derek! I think I'm in a—" The phone was snapped closed before he could say 'church.' Suddenly the priest was in front of him and he was hit hard across the face.

"Son, you do not want to try that again. You have already sinned more than one man should be capable, you do not want to make your penance worse, do you?" He said with a sigh, and then fumbled with the phone, turning it off after a minute. With tears in his eyes, Spencer found his voice.

"What is your name?"

The priest smiled, adjusting his starched white collar.

"Samuel Wilson. My parishioners call me Father Sam. Don't cry Spencer. You're going to need your strength for confession." And he hit the lights as he reached the top of the steps, leaving Spencer alone in the darkness.

* * *

Morgan stared at the phone for a minute before bursting into action.

"Damnit, Pretty Boy, don't do this to me. Please, be okay." He called Hotch again. "Hotch, I think Reid's been kidnapped." There was a swear on the other end.

"I was afraid of that. Meet at the B.A.U. as soon as you can. I'll have Garcia call the others in. Are you positive he was really kidnapped?" Morgan felt his eyes watering in anger.

"Yes, Hotch. I spoke to the kidnapper and I could hear Spencer… screaming in the background."

In less than 15 minutes, the entire team was in the conference room of the B.A.U. Emily was in sweats and t-shirt and had obviously come straight from the gym.

The brainstormed, having Garcia set up Morgan's cell phone to a recording device. Local police called and said that they found Reid's car on the side of the highway, deserted. JJ called the restaurant but only got an answering machine, saying it didn't open until four. She left a message saying to call them as soon as possible and returned to the team. She was having trouble controlling her tears.

"Who would want to take Reid?" Rossi asked, looking pointedly at Morgan. "You said you were with him last night?" Derek shot him a warning look and continued to pace around the small conference room.

"Yeah. We went to a restaurant. He left and I didn't hear from him since then." He wanted to tell them about the altercation that had happened, but he didn't know how to tell them without revealing the nature of their relationship.

"Morgan…" Prentiss started, knowing that he was trying to keep the relationship a secret, but right now Reid's safety was more important. She gave him a sympathetic look before saying, "You need to tell us everything…" Morgan slammed a fist against the doorway, effectively cutting her off and causing the team to exchange nervous glances.

"We had got in a small fight with some hicks in the restaurant," he spat quietly. "The owner kicked them out, but they could've taken Reid when he left. I… I didn't see him leave." He hated having his personal life under scrutiny, but he could hear Spencer's cries ringing in his ears.

'_God, Spencer, if the last thing I said to you was in anger…'_

"What was the fight about?" Hotch pressed, his face more serious than any of them had thought possible. Morgan shook his head.

"No, Hotch. It's not relevant."

"Morgan, anything could be relevant. We'll be the judge of that."

Before Derek could yell back at him, his cell phone began to go off on the table. They froze. It was an unknown number.

"Keep calm, Morgan," Hotch said, and pressed the speaker button and the recording device simultaneously. Derek tried as hard as he could to keep his voice steady as he spoke.

"Hello?" A creepily calm voice answered him.

"Hello, Derek. Spencer was kind enough to give me your number so I could give you a call on my phone. I felt rude using his."

"Spencer… Let me speak to Spencer," he said. He could feel the others watching him.

"Not yet. He hasn't even started his penance." Morgan shuddered at the idea of Spencer being hurt. "But you need to pay for your sins as well, Derek Morgan. You had a large part to play in this blasphemy. I won't lie to you, you are much stronger than I, so I won't be able to bring you here to do it like I did for Spencer." He laughed heartily.

"I'll go there of my own will. I want to do my penance," Derek lied. "Just let me speak to Spencer. You can give me the address and I will be there." He hoped Penelope would be able to trace the call soon. The man laughed even louder. JJ and Prentiss visibly shivered with the noise.

"Oh no, boy, your penance is a different kind. Spencer will suffer corporally, as those like you did in Sodom and Gomorrah. But you, Derek, you will have to listen to his cries, and face the guilt of knowing that you soiled this beautiful child of God." Suddenly they heard a cry of pain.

"Derek! Please help me!" Spencer screamed and Morgan snapped.

"Spencer! Can you hear me? Baby, just hold on, I'm going to get that son of a bitch!" He felt his eyes stinging with tears. And again, the UnSub was back on the phone.

"I will call you later, Derek. God bless." And with that the line went dead.

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**Just a warning, I love Reid in pain, and I love vulnerable Morgan. Be prepared for the next few chapters to be chock full of it!**

**Once again, thanks for the reviews!**


	10. In the Name of the Father

**Oh hey! So a few things about this chapter:  
****1) The first part is Reid's POV continued where it left off and ending after the conversation with Morgan. Second part is Morgan's POV after the phone conversation. I thought it was self-explanatory, but I'm putting this here just in case.  
2) I'm not really sure what denomination Father Sam is. I was raised Roman Catholic, but I rejected organized religion in high school so I'm not sure how accurate I am on some of the stuff. So forgive me if my religious facts are screwed up.  
3) I use a little of my philosophy minor in this chapter. Reid was reading the Critique of Practical Reason by Kant last chapter, and so I use a little Kant philosophy and Aristotelian philosophy when Reid is talking to Father Sam about beliefs. I have no idea what Reid really believes, but I know he was working on getting a degree in philosophy so he might think along these lines?**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

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**Chapter 10: In the Name of the Father...**

After what seemed like an hour, Father Sam had come back. Reid felt a mix of relief when the lights flipped on and fear when he heard footfalls on the stairs behind him.

"Have you thought about what you need to confess to me? I can help you with the Act of Contrition if you would like." Reid heard the priest put something heavy on the ground behind him, but he couldn't turn to see it. The priest walked to Reid's side and put some more coal in the furnace, taking a fire poker and moving it around a bit before leaving the door open. It made the room sweltering hot, and Reid could feel sweat start dripping down his forehead as the priest sat in front of him on the stool, hands clasped and smiling.

Spencer was grasping at straws.

"I-I'm sorry, I honestly don't know what you want me to say…" he stuttered out, "… Father," he added as an afterthought. Father Sam looked upset.

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Well, until you come to some conclusion, let's talk." Spencer was immediately reminded of a therapist he had seen briefly after sending his mother to Bennington's. "Tell me more about… Derek Morgan."

Spencer swallowed a lump in his throat and spoke slowly.

"Well… I've known Morgan for several years, we work together, and-"

"Oh, splendid! Another FBI Agent? It's amazing how far his people have come." Spencer balked at the comment.

"Derek Morgan is one of the best agents I know—one of the best men I know! His race has nothing to do with it. He's—he's an amazing human being." Reid's outburst only made Father Sam raise his hands and chuckle.

"Now, now. No need to get upset. I was only making a comment. And you and Derek went to the restaurant last night?" Spencer was nervous; he had a feeling he knew where this line of questioning was leading.

"Y-yes, we had a, uh, a date…" Spencer said nervously. Father Sam shook his head in pity and disgust.

"And you are on intimate terms with the man? You seemed rather close last night, at least, until before Jim and Todd caused a ruckus." Reid's face again gave away what he was thinking, because Father Sam cut him off before he could ask any questions. "No, I did not do this for Jim and Todd, although they are parishioners of mine. I can't say that they handled the situation with much grace, but I agree with their point of view. You have brought a lot of sin upon yourself, Spencer Reid. And I need you to repent."

Realization hit Spencer like a ton of bricks.

"You're doing this because I'm a homosexual? Because I'm in a relationship with a black man? You've got to be kidding me. We're in the 21st century, and homosexuality has been around since the Roman Empire, that we know of. And the most recent Civil Rights Act was passed in 1967, you goddamned—"

His rant was cut off by a swift punch to the jaw. Father Sam looked livid.

"_Do not…use the Lord's name… in vain…_" he said, hitting the young doctor in between words. When he stopped, Reid could taste blood in his mouth and felt like his head was going to explode again. Father Sam seemed to be trying to control his temper. "Tell me, Spencer, have you been baptized?" Spencer shook his head numbly.

"No. My father wasn't religious and my mother was paranoid schizophrenic. She thought religion was just a ploy to control the masses," he said solemnly, feeling as if he would be sick had he not been running on an empty stomach. Father Sam raised his hands in the air and laughed.

"Well there's the crux of our problem! Baptism is the beginning of accepting Jesus as our savior!" And with those words he leaned forward and picked up the front legs of Spencer's chair. Without warning, the chair tipped backward and Spencer realized what Father Sam had brought down earlier: a large tub of water.

His head hit the water hard, but luckily the chair wasn't completely submerged. It tilted off the edge of the tub, and if Spencer used his arm strength he could keep his head from being under the water. He gasped for breath; the water was icy cold and was a stark contrast between the hot wine cellar. Then suddenly, his head was pushed under the water, and he didn't have the strength to push against the hand. He could hear Father Sam speaking above him, and although he couldn't quite make out the words, he knew what the priest was saying.

"_In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."_

The weight was released, and Spencer lifted his head up, gulping down deep breaths. Before he could adequately fill his lungs, his head was shoved back under the water once more. The loud sounds of rushing water made Reid begin to panic, and he struggled as much as he could in the chair. When he began to feel lightheaded, the hand was removed again and he pulled himself right back up, trying to get another breath in before being drowned again. And again, Spencer found himself under the water. His body fought and struggled, his lungs burning with the need for air. He started to experience tunnel vision and he knew it was oncoming unconsciousness. A thought slithered into his brain as he started to pass out.

'_This is how Derek tried to kill himself? It's horrific…Derek, I'm so, so sorry…'_

And then he was upright again, the chair clattering on the hard concrete floor, jarring Reid's already battered brain. He shivered as Father Sam moved to stand by the table and watch him.

"Now that you've been baptized, it's time for your Sacrament of Reconciliation. Now, Spencer, confess your sins." Spencer continued to shiver as he shook his head.

"No, I haven't done anything that needs to be forgiven. I don't believe in your 'God' and I never will believe in a god who thinks that what I'm doing is wrong. If there is a supreme being, I think my actions would be seen as quite pious in his, or her, eyes. After all, what I'm doing is out of love and didn't God create us to be happy?" Reid rambled his thoughts, hoping that maybe if Father Sam understood his viewpoint he wouldn't punish him for being with Derek. "If-if God is nothing more than harmony between morality and reason, it stands to reason that… What are you doing?" He looked up to see the priest pulling a roll of duct tape from under the work bench.

"I'm sorry, Spencer, but I need to make a phone call and I need you to keep quiet for a bit," he said, slapping a strip across Reid's mouth. Father Sam then began to stoke the fire in the furnace with a fire poker while dialing a number on a cheap, disposable cell phone.

"Hello, Derek. Spencer was kind enough to give me your number so I could give you a call on my phone. I felt rude using his."

Spencer whined pitifully against the duct tape, feeling helpless as his kidnapper taunted his lover over the phone. Father Sam's face seemed to light up and he left the poker in the fire to tear the duct tape from Spencer's mouth. Spencer heard him say, "…face the guilt of knowing that you soiled this beautiful child of God." And suddenly the fire poker was in front of his face, glowing orange and radiating heat. Father Sam pressed it into Reid's chest, right above his heart, and Reid gave a scream of agony.

"Derek! Please help me!" Spencer could smell the burning flesh and hear the singeing of his blue button up shirt as several inches of his chest were branded. He could hear Derek yelling through the phone but he couldn't make out the words, but he was sure it was something comforting. He wished he could have heard it, so he had something to hold onto. All he had now was a searing pain in his chest and a light-headed feeling that was beginning to overcome him.

"God bless…" he heard Father Sam say, and suddenly the world went dark.

* * *

Penelope bustled into the room.

"It was a disposable cell phone, the bastard. I'm trying to use the GPS in Reid's phone, but it's been turned off. I've got alarms that will go off when it's turned back on." Her makeup was smeared; she'd clearly been crying. Morgan just stared at the phone on the desk, feeling five pairs of eyes on him. He wiped away a tear and looked up to see Hotch watching him with an uncharacteristically soft look in his eyes.

"Morgan. The UnSub is targeting you and Reid for your apparent 'sins.' He mentioned Sodom and Gomorroah…" He waited for one second, taking a deep breath to prepare to ask the question he knew Derek didn't want to answer. "Derek… are you and Spencer in an intimate relationship?"

Garcia's jaw dropped, and JJ raised her eyebrows and laughed as if she had been told that Hotch was going to be on the cover of Maxim. Their looks of astonishment were soon replaced by serious frowns when they realized that Prentiss and Rossi looked unsurprised.

Morgan nodded his head slowly.

"Yes, Hotch. We've been dating a few weeks now. We had a date last night. Some thugs came to our table and were harassing Spencer about… about dating a man. A black man." He slumped into a chair and buried his face in his hands, trying to hold back tears. Maybe the UnSub was right. Maybe he had ruined a good man. A wonderful man.

Hotch signed and leaned forward to pinch the bridge of his nose. JJ and Garcia looked stunned and Rossi and Prentiss exchanged knowing looks. Finally, the tension was broken when Hotch spoke.

"We will discuss fraternization when we get Reid back. For now, Prentiss, I want you to work on a geographic profile. Garcia, analyze the phone call for background noise. JJ, you keep trying to reach the restaurant and if you do, let them know that Rossi and I are on our way. Morgan," he hesitated, "you are too close to this. Stay here and write the transcript of the phone calls on the board, see if anything pops out at you." Morgan was back on his feet in two seconds.

"Hotch! That's not fair, man. That's my… that's my boyfriend out there and you're putting me on desk duty? I'm not going to sit here and do nothing!" Hotch only took two steps to come face to face with Morgan, his face livid.

"Morgan. You've been keeping a lot of secrets lately, and it's clear to me that when it comes to Reid, your judgment is clouded," he took a deep breath and took a step back. "You know I will support you and Reid in this. But first we need to work on getting him back. Your irrationality in this situation will get you, and quite possibly Reid, hurt. And I will _not_ lose two agents to this guy. You're staying here." Rossi stepped between them and put a comforting hand on Morgan's shoulder, easing him back into his chair.

"He's right, Derek. Besides, you have to be here to answer when Reid calls back. And we'll call you the moment we know anything."

Morgan sighed reluctantly and stared at the phone on the table.

"Okay…" he said quietly, and this gave the team their cues to get a move on. By this time it was only 9:30, and he knew that every minute was a minute that Reid was in danger. He knew one thing at least: he would know when Reid was in being hurt, because he would be on the other line. Before leaving to get a Virginia map for the geographic profile, Prentiss sat down next to Morgan and held one of her hands between hers.

"Hey… It's going to be okay. We'll get Reid back, and you guys can start being all lovey-dovey around the office again…" She tried to cheer Morgan up, but she could hardly make the joke without shuddering. Reid's scream of pain had been awful for her to hear, and she could only imagine how Derek must be feeling. Derek just sighed and stood up, turning to the white board.

"We better get to work," was all he said, and he started to write the first phone call on the board.

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**One last note, someone asked in the reviews if I use a beta. The answer to that is no, I don't use a beta, but I would LOVE to become one. If anyone is in need of one let me know!**


	11. Helpless

**Holy cow, thanks for all the crazy great reviews! This chapter is extra long, and it's jam-packed. I promise Reid will be rescued soon, but the team can't just work on a case for a few hours and solve it, can they? Also, if you don't know what a censer (sometimes called a thurimble) is, or if you just like looking at old stuff, you might want to image search it quickly before reading. **

**Also, it is Matthew Gray Gubler's birthday, and Paget Brewster's is Thursday! **

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Chapter 11: Helpless...**

Reid wasn't sure how long he had been asleep. He didn't dare open his eyes, afraid that he would find himself in the dark again, as he assessed his condition. _Large burn on chest, possible concussion, bruises on wrists and ankles… _He was lying on the ground now, his hands bound in front of him and his legs wrapped tightly together. Reluctantly he opened his eyes.

Complete darkness. Everything around him was black except from the small glow coming from the closed furnace door.

'_Even in complete darkness, the human eye sees shades of dark gray, never black…' _There it was, his infamous brain still clicking away in his head. But even that small thought didn't comfort him. He let a few tears roll down his cheek, now that he was alone. There was a pain in his chest and he couldn't determine whether it came from the burn or from the feeling of hopelessness he was starting to feel. _'This is an easy case. The religious language indicates he is a man of religion, why is it taking them so long to get here?' _ But he didn't allow himself to think about it for too long.

"Derek will figure it out. He and the team will get here soon and we can just go home. For all I know, they are about to bust in the door right now," he whispered aloud to comfort himself. But there were no sounds of splintering wood as a door was kicked down, nor the sounds of footfalls canvassing the rooms above him, nor the sounds of his teammates yelling "Clear!" to each other as they found the wine cellar through process of elimination. He was still helpless.

* * *

Hours later and there had been no phone call. Morgan was staring at the whiteboard in front of him, using all of the will-power he had developed over the years to not look at the phone lying on the table. He had circled all the religious rhetoric, and on the side he had written "Jim_" and "Todd_." He firmly believed that these were the guys who had taken Spencer—his Spencer—and he was only waiting for Rossi and Hotch to get back after interviewing the restaurant owner so he could confirm him.

"Hey, Cupcake…" A soft voice came from behind him. Garcia walked in, clutching her laptop in front of her like a shield. Prentiss and JJ had gone to pick up lunch for them, leaving Emily's map hanging up next to Morgan's work. Morgan just hung his head and waited for her to speak. He knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. After a moment of silence, her voice trembled as she spoke.

"How could I not have known? Why didn't you trust me?" Derek opened his mouth to speak, but Garcia held up a hand and gave him a warning glare. "No. Let me finish, my darling. First you try to… to kill yourself and I felt terrible for not having been there to help you. And then you go into a relationship with your best friend, apart from yours truly, who is also a gentleman and who works with us, and you kept that a secret from me, too. You don't tell me when you're sad or when you're happy. Do you just not trust me anymore? Did I do something wrong?" Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Derek took her hand and they sat down across from each other.

"Baby Girl, you know I love you. About my… attempt, there wasn't anything you could've done. And it wasn't something that I was confiding in anyone, it didn't have anything to do with trusting you. I just didn't want my team, my friends, to worry about me or to see me struggle. And Reid and I… we wanted to keep it a secret. We wanted to tell you so badly, Penelope, believe me, but we weren't ready to tell anyone just yet. Rossi and Prentiss found out because they're profilers, it's what they were trained to do. If Hotch wasn't so busy I'm sure he would have made the connection as well. But believe me when I say that I trust you more than anyone, and if I could have you would've been the first person I told when Reid and I started dating."

Garcia squeezed his hand, still clutching the laptop.

"I guess I know that it wasn't anything personal, I just wish I had found out under better circumstances, and hearing it in positive terms, not negative," she said, taking her hand from his to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry to break down on you like this, especially considering…"

Morgan shook his head. "It's all right, Baby Girl, I should have just told you. And you can mess with him and start calling him my boyfriend as soon as he comes back." He tried to cheer her up.

Garcia smiled hopefully.

"Do you love him?"

The answer rolled off his tongue without hesitation.

"Yes. I've loved him for a long time. It's only been recently that I've realized how in love with him I am." He took a deep breath. "I just want to get him back home so I can tell him that every day."

They held hands for a moment longer, before Hotch and Rossi breezed into the room, followed by Emily carrying a box of pizza. JJ followed soon after, still looking fragile and like she was about to break down any second. The tone in the room suddenly became serious.

"What have you got?" Morgan stood impatiently, wanting to grab the files Rossi was holding and just read them for himself.

Rossi opened the file and, to Morgan's relief, handed him a sheet of paper with a list of names.

"These are the people the owner said he remembered were at the restaurant around the same time you guys were. And," he said, nodding to the board, "he said that Jim and Todd have an alibi. Apparently they moved their party to a nearby bar and their wives took them home. The neighborhood gossip says that they got stinking drunk. We'll check with the bar, but I'm going to go ahead and say that it wasn't them." Hotch nodded in agreement.

"Prentiss, what have you got?"

Emily walked to her map and pointed to five dots on the page.

"I think we can all agree that the UnSub is a religious man, so I've circled the four churches in the area of the restaurant and drew a five mile radius around each. I think it's safe to assume he's a church-goer, so he'll probably belong to one of these parishes."

Morgan nodded, looking at the list of names. It was long; there had been many people at the restaurant. Garcia opened her laptop and with a flurry of fingers on keys she had the audio of the last phone call on her screen.

"I couldn't identify much in the audio. Right before we hear Reid you can hear a kind of hissing sound, I'm not really sure what it is, and there's a strange, quiet noise towards the beginning that I isolated, listen here…" The sound on the audio was a soft tone, like a cell phone jingle, that repeated a few times and then stopped. Garcia sighed and looked around at the team. "It's not much, but if you want I can run those names through my system and see what I can get on them."

Morgan obliged and handed her the list, and she took off with her laptop to work in her lair.

Suddenly, JJ spoke up.

"There's something that's bugging me though. Isn't it strange that Morgan and Reid had two similar incidents happen in the same place so close together? I mean, not everyone in Virginia is a homophobic racist, it's just seems like too much of a coincidence that those two events could be separate."

"What are you saying?" Rossi pressed gently.

"Well, I guess what I'm saying is that maybe Jim and Todd knew the UnSub. Maybe they and the UnSub all go to the same twisted church. If we brought them in for questioning maybe it would help us narrow down our list." The team nodded in agreement.

"I'll call the local P.D. and have it bring Jim and Todd in. Rossi and Prentiss and I will take the lead on it. JJ, stay here and help Garcia narrow the parameters of the names from the restaurant. Morgan… You have to stay here and man the phone. I know it's not fair," he said as Morgan opened his mouth to retort, "but from what you've said about these guys, they won't talk to you and it'll just be making you angry to be there. And you have to be there for Spencer when the next call comes in."

Morgan just collapsed into a chair, glaring at his cell phone as if he wanted nothing more than just to smash it. Rossi just nodded in agreement.

"Once we know for sure where he is, you'll be with us to make the bust, I promise," he said, looking at Hotch who wordlessly agreed. The team went their separate ways, JJ laying a hand lightly on Derek's should before going to join Garcia.

Derek wondered if Spencer was feeling just as helpless as he was.

* * *

The door opened and the light bulb above Spencer's head flickered to life. Spencer rolled over to watch Father Sam walk down the stairs carrying a sandwich and a glass of water.

"Hello, Spencer, I'm glad to see you awake. You've been sleeping for hours." He gently helped Spencer sit up and pulled him to lean against the door of the closet. "You must be starving, here, eat this…" He placed the turkey on wheat sandwich in Spencer's still bound hands and Spencer reluctantly took a bite, hating himself for giving in to temptation.

"Please… let me go. I need to get to a hospital, I think I have a concussion." He begged between bites. Father Sam just chuckled and shook his head.

"Psalm 38:5. 'My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.' Your concussion is in your faith, and once you repent for your sins, God will heal you," he said. Reid was too hungry and tired to argue as he finished his sandwich. Father Sam handed him the glass of water to wash it down. Reid decided that he would have to play into the priest's fantasy to make progress.

"I am ready for Reconciliation, Father. I want God's forgiveness. I want him to forgive my sins," Saying the words, even though he knew he was just saying it to survive, made him disgusted with himself. Father Sam clapped his hands and smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it! Let's get you up into the kneeling position so we can make this as formal as possible. Two of the three Sacraments of Initiation in one day, who'd have thought?" Spencer was carefully moved to kneel in front of the chair, his hands retied to the back of it so that he could clasp his hands in prayer. Father Sam sat on the stool beside him. "Now, do you need help starting?" Spencer shook his head.

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession." He had read books on Christianity, and naturally his memory never failed him. Father Sam smiled affectionately and put his hands in his pockets he hit the 'dial' button and turned the volume all the way down.

"Very good, son. Now what do you have to confess?"

"I've sinned a great deal. I've been a bisexual for most of my life, and now I know that it is wrong, and it isn't in God's plan for me." He tried his hardest to make himself sound sincere. "Lately I was under the impression that-that I was in love with Derek Morgan. But it was an infatuation, nothing more. Well, it was actually a lot more, it was an offense to God. But that's over now. De-Morgan is just a co-worker. That's all he'll ever be." It hurt him to say those words, and he hoped Derek would never know he had said them, even if they were lies.

"Good, Spencer. But there's more. You've had relations with this man, haven't you? That is an even graver sin, and you need to confess it." Spencer took a deep breath.

"Yes, I've 'known' Morgan, in the Biblical sense, but it was a mistake, and I won't ever make that mistake again. I'm disgusted that I allowed myself to be led to that degree of temptation." He groaned inwardly at how ridiculous he sounded, but Father Sam seemed to be eating it up.

"You're right. What you did was vile and disgraceful, and unfortunately you'll have to pay penance for it." He stood up, going to the work bench and picking up a chain with three metal hooks on the end. It looked like it belonged to an old, swinging censer. Panic began rising in his body; he hadn't thought of what his penance might be.

"No, please don't… I told you I've repented, you don't have to do this!" Spencer yelled as Father Sam easily ripped the shirt that Spencer was wearing, leaving the back open.

"Jesus received 39 lashes for crimes he did not commit, you, on the other hand, have grievously sinned against God and yourself, and for this you must pay for your sins. I'm sorry, Spencer."

* * *

After the tenth sound of the chains coming down on Spencer's back, Morgan could feel the angry tears freely streaming down his face. His anger at hearing Reid say that their love had been a mistake had been bad enough, but hearing the terror in Reid's voice and hearing his grunts of pain give way to full out screams made him yell in anguish.

"Spencer! Spencer, come on man, say something genius and useful so I can find you and kill this fucker!" he yelled into the speaker phone, but he soon realized that Spencer didn't know Morgan was listening. He slammed his fists on the table, startling the already shaken JJ, who was calling Hotch to tell him that there was another phone call. Garcia was already recording the call, and Morgan was sure that she was crying as they all listened to Reid's screams of pain. Finally, the chain came down and there was no screaming, and Derek feared the worst.

He heard the UnSub pull the phone from his pocket and put it to his ear.

"Hello, Derek. Did you enjoy the show? 30 lashes exactly. Spencer lasted longer than I thought. He's a very strong young man, Derek Morgan. He's passed out again, so let's let him sleep a while before the next call, okay?" Derek clenched his fists tightly and tried to make his voice sound as confident as possible.

"I'm going to find you, you son of a bitch, and when I do-" He was cut off by Father Sam's laughter.

"You forget, young man, that I have God on my side. I will talk to you later. Until then…" The phone went dead. Derek just stood at the speaker, feeling even more hurt and helpless than before. He could feel that they were close to a break in the case, but he hoped he wouldn't be too late. He hoped Spencer wouldn't be too damaged by the time they found him.

* * *

As Spencer drifted into the blackness. he heard the UnSub talking on the phone.

"Hello, Derek. Did you enjoy the show?"

And as he faded into a comfortable sleep, he wished he had known the phone was on so he could have left a message for Derek. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so… helpless.

* * *

**I promise, the Reid/Morgan torture will end soon. Reviews make me smile (and guilt me into writing faster!) :)**


	12. Rescue

**LONGEST. CHAPTER. I'VE EVER. WRITTEN.**

**But I couldn't split it up into two, because I was so eager to see this resolve. It seemed like a fun/angsty idea at the time... but it was just making me sad, haha. **

**SO HERE YOU GO! Please review! It makes me feel like I'm doing a good job.**

**And I don't do this enough, but thank you for those who do review, it means so much.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: So after researching (googling) I realized that I had my sacraments mixed up. The sacrament of communion is NOT a sacrament of initiation... so I effed it up. Sorry :( Maybe someday I'll go back and change the last chapter so that it doesn't mention the initiation sacraments... but who knows?**

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

Chapter 12: Rescue**

"Goddamnit!"

Derek yelled and kicked his chair across the room with a loud clatter that made JJ jump.

"Hotch… Morgan's really upset…" he heard her whisper into the phone. Then something in her voice changed. "Okay… Okay, Hotch, I'll get Garcia right on it and we'll meet you over there… Yes, I'll tell him…Bye." Morgan wiped his eyes and looked at her hopefully and she nodded.

"Yes, Derek we have a lead. I want to double check the name the others got with the list Garcia has but… I think we have him." Morgan gave a small groan of relief and moved to walk to Garcia's den, but JJ put a firm hand on his shoulder. "No, Derek. Stay here and I'll handle it. If you get upset you'll only upset Garcia, and she doesn't work well under pressure. Stay here and as soon as we confirm the name, you and I will meet the others for the bust." And she spun on her heel and walked away so he couldn't argue with her.

"Hey!" JJ turned when she heard the yell. Derek was standing in the doorway, his eyes bloodshot, hands hanging down at his sides, and an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry." JJ nodded her head in understanding and gave him a small smile, before running down the hall to get Garcia.

Morgan sat in the conference room and put his head in his hands.

He knew that Spencer was just saying things to play into the UnSub's fantasy; it was what he was wishing the kid had been doing the whole time, so he wouldn't get hurt. But still, hearing Spencer say that he didn't love him, that being with him had been a mistake… It hurt more than he imagined. And the sounds of Spencer being flogged was like throwing salt in his wounds. And he didn't know how much more he could stand.

JJ flew back into the room. "Grab your coat. We've got him. He wasn't a parishioner, he was the priest. His name is Samuel Wilson. And his home is connected to his church. We've got him, Derek." She couldn't hide the smile on her face, even though she knew she shouldn't be excited about the prospect of facing a dangerous, delusional UnSub. They grabbed their guns and ran to the SUV.

"Be careful, my loves! Bring my genius home!" Garcia called out as they ran for the stairwell, too impatient to take the elevator.

Derek almost smacked himself in the forehead as he thought over the details of the case as he drove.

"The sound at the end of the second call, JJ. We never identified what it was. Church bells."

"And that's why Jim and Todd picked a fight with you. The entire parish must have the same ideologies as Wilson, so it's not so hard to believe that there would be two similar incidents in the same vicinity." Morgan just nodded and drove, concentrating on weaving through traffic and the loud sound of the siren.

'_I'm on my way, Pretty Boy.'_

_

* * *

_

"Spencer, wake up, son. It's time to get up."

Reid slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the pain in his body. The chain hadn't been heavy enough to bruise him severely, but the tiny hooks at the end had torn at his skin and he could feel dried blood on his back. His body was aching, and he just wanted to close his eyes and go back to sleep. His shoulder was stiff; he must have been lying on the floor for quite some time.

"No, Spencer, you have to wake up. There is one more sacrament I want to give you, and then you will be a full-fledged member of the church. Won't that be something?" Father Sam seemed cheerful and confidant. Reid's head was pounding and his ankles hurt from being bound for so long. "The most important sacrament is next, it's-"

"Communion, I know…" Reid said, willing the priest to just leave him alone as he sat up and leaned against a wall. Father Sam looked delighted.

"Very good! Traditionally this happens during your adolescent years and-"

"What are you going to do…" Spencer interrupted, looking at the priest through tired, half-lidded eyes. "What are you going to do with me after my Communion? I paid my penance, can't I go home?" Father Sam's smile faded and he sat on the stool next to him.

"Well, Spencer, you'll be a member of the Church, having partaken of the body of Christ, and you'll be sinless. This is as perfect time as any to pass through those Pearly Gates…" He was cut short when Spencer laughed mirthlessly.

"So… after all that… you're just going to kill me?" He asked, closing his eyes and hoping he wouldn't start crying. He knew he should be begging for his life, but he had just about given up hope, and he felt like he had nothing left to lose. "Fine, then I won't accept communion. I won't drink the wine and eat the bread and all of that nonsense," he said, his boldness shocking even himself. Father Sam just sighed.

"That's what all of them say when we get to this point. But you need to realize, Spencer, that I'm doing this to save you. I've given you an express pass to heaven. If I let you go, you'll be led back down that road of temptation and debauchery, and I can't let that happen."

"So you've done this before?" Reid stalled, slightly curious at how long he had been getting away with this.

"Well yes of course. I've saved prostitutes, homosexuals, all kinds of people who needed my help. I had given it up for a while, decided to lay low and form my congregation, but when I saw you last night at the restaurant, I just _knew_ that you needed me to help you." Reid felt like he might be sick. This was the kind of criminal Reid was supposed to catch, and he hadn't even been on their radar. "It'll be completely painless, Spencer, I promise you. If you willingly become a witness to Christ, I won't let you die in pain." Spencer could feel hot tears coming to his eyes. _'I'm going to die…'_ he thought to himself.

"Okay…" he said slowly, "…but on one condition: you let me call two people to… to say goodbye…" His normally quick mind was sluggish, but he had one last plan up his sleeve.

"Who will you be calling?" Father Sam asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.

"My mom and… my dad," Spencer said. "They are separated; my mom is in an institution in Las Vegas. I need to call them both." _'He doesn't need to know that I'm estranged from my father. But I need to call Derek…' _Father Sam nodded.

" 'Honor thy father and thy mother.' Of course I will let you say goodbye." He pulled the phone out of his pocket, but pulled it back as Spencer reached for it. "But I will dial the number." Spencer was temporarily set back but he recovered quickly. He couldn't tell Father Sam to call Derek's number, but he was sure there was one person who could get the call through to him. Reid read off Penelope's office number from memory, and Father Sam gave him the phone and watched him carefully.

Spencer shakily put the phone up to his ear with both hands.

"_Penelope Garcia, how can I help you?" _Spencer swallowed and glanced at Father Sam before answering.

"Ms. Garcia, it's Spencer." He hoped the priest couldn't hear the gasp on the other end.

"_Spencer! Baby, how- Did you get away? Derek is on his way…"_

"Can you patch me through to him?" Spencer cut her off. Father Sam gave him a suspicious look. "It's my dad's secretary. Just a few more minutes, please," he said to the priest, and Penelope understood that he was being watched.

"_I got you baby boy. One Derek Morgan, on your way…"_ The phone rang for what seemed like ages, until finally the voice that Spencer had been longing to hear answered the phone.

* * *

Derek looked at the number on his phone. It was Garcia, but with an extension. They were only about 10 minutes from the church, who could possibly be bothering him now? He hit the green speakerphone button and gruffly responded.

"Morgan." He heard a relieved sigh on the other end.

"_Dad… It's Spencer. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute…" _Morgan nearly crashed the car, and JJ noticed the whitening of his knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Spencer. Are you being watched? Is he with you right now?"

"_Yes, Dad. Look, I…I just wanted to say that no matter what happens, I love you." _Derek could hear him begin to cry.

"Spencer, Spencer it's going to be okay, we're on our way right now. Just keep stalling."

"_That's enough, Spencer!" _Spencer knew that the priest was starting to catch on, and began to talk faster.

"_No! Please, just a few more minutes. Der-Dad, I don't want to die without telling you how much you mean to me. I love you so much. You've made me the happiest man in the world."_

"_I said that's enough!" _There was a struggle and the sounds of Spencer trying to keep the phone in his possession.

"Spencer! Damnit, Spencer, talk to me!"

"_Hello, Derek," _the now stiff voice carried over the phone. _"I wish Spencer hadn't done that. He was so close to being saved, and now you've tempted him back into sin."_

"Then blame me. It's my fault, you said it yourself, so come and get me." He pulled onto the road where the church was, and he could see the steeple. He just needed to stall a little longer.

"_I assure you, I will. But first, it is time for Spencer's final judgment. I'm afraid that I could only do so much for him." _And with that the phone clicked off.

* * *

Spencer felt a wave of panic wash through his body. He was so close to being rescued, and he hoped that whatever Father Sam had planned, it would give him a little time to stall. The priest walked to one of the wine racks and pulled down a bottle, simultaneously retrieving a bottle opener from his pocket. He opened the bottle skillfully, and poured some into a glass that Reid had drank water from earlier. Reid fought the bonds around his wrists but couldn't get the tight rope to budge.

"I'm not pleased with you, Spencer." Father Sam pulled a small Eucharist holder from his pocket and approached him, sitting the cup of wine on the stool. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't continue with tradition." He knelt down and grabbed Spencer's jaw and forced him to open his mouth. "The Body of Christ," he said, holding the small piece of bread in front of him and shoving it into his mouth. Reid struggled as the priest held his mouth closed until he swallowed it.

Father Sam smiled and patted Reid on the head.

"Don't worry, Spencer. That was just Eucharist." He laughed as he stood up. He walked in to the closet for a minute, coming back with a bottle the Reid didn't remember seeing in there earlier. Of course, it had been pitch black when he had been in there.

'LIQUID RODENTICIDE' was printed across it.

Father Sam opened the lid and began pouring it into the tall glass of wine.

* * *

The SUV screeched into the parking lot of the church, where squad cars and an identical SUV were also parked. Hotch, Prentiss, and Rossi were pulling their Kevlar vests on, as were the police, checking their weapons and preparing for the bust. An ambulance was also sitting nearby.

Morgan jumped out of the car without turning it off.

"Hotch, we have to move now! He just called, he knows we're coming. He's going to kill Reid!" Hotch nodded to the police chief.

"We'll take the church, I have a feeling that he's in there," Hotch said, and Morgan agreed. If a priest wanted to perform holy Sacraments, he would do it in a house of God.

"Let's go." Morgan said, pulling out his gun and running to the entrance of the church.

"Morgan, your vest!" Rossi called out, but Morgan was already moving to open the church doors.

The church was almost empty, except for an elderly woman praying in the first pew. She started to scream when she saw Derek with his gun, but a cop ran past him and escorted her out and attempted to calm her down. Derek rushed forward as the police checked the confession booths, but he knew that Spencer wouldn't be in there. His phone hadn't had a signal, so he knew he must be in a basement somewhere. Echoes of "Clear!" were carrying through the large church, but he couldn't hear anything but the rushing of his own blood until he found what he was looking for: an inconspicuous door in the preparation room of the church. There were chains with hooks on the end, covered in what seemed like blood. Morgan felt sick. Without alerting his team, he opened the door and quietly slid down the stairs, his gun up in front of him.

The first thing he saw in the swelteringly hot room was the UnSub kneeling in front of Spencer. Morgan could barely contain a sigh of relief as he saw his bound legs kicking.

"Put your hands where I can see them, you bastard." The priest froze and raised his hands, an empty glass in his hands. Morgan saw the bottle of rat poison on the ground and fear washed through him.

'_Was I too late?'_

"Derek!" Spencer yelled from behind him, and Morgan could see the dark liquid dying his shirt. Spencer felt tears roll down his face from relief. He had managed to keep the poison out of his mouth, but he was afraid he would pass out from the struggle soon, and then it would have been too easy to pour the liquid down his throat.

And then, there was Derek, looking furious and beautiful.

"Derek, it's so good to meet you face-to-face. I hope the drive-"

"Shut up, fucker. I'm sick of hearing your voice. Lay face down on the ground with your hands behind your head, and maybe I won't shoot you." Morgan was so tempted to pull the trigger, and Reid could see it in his eyes.

"Derek, don't, he's not worth it. Just 'cuff him and let's go home, please," he begged, wishing he could get up and run to his lover. Morgan's finger burned as it sat over the trigger, but luckily he was interrupted.

"They're down here!" Emily's voice came from above. She sprinted down the stairs and saw the tense situation before her. She put her gun away and pulled out her handcuffs. "Morgan, I've got him, just go to Reid," Prentiss said emphatically, walking deliberately to the still standing and smiling priest. She pulled his wrists behind his back roughly and he gave no resistance, but continued to stare at Derek.

"Derek, just remember that you put Spencer in this situation, you don't want to lead him back down this road to perdition-" Emily jerked his arms up behind his back.

"Shut up. You have the right to remain silent, and I think we'd all prefer it if you did so," she said and started to lead him up the stairs before Morgan shot him in anger. But all focus on Father Sam was lost when Derek saw Spencer, tied up and leaning against the wall with a torn, burnt and bloody shirt. Suddenly he was by his side, wrapping his arms around him as Spencer leaned into his shoulder and took deep breaths of Derek's familiar smell, as if reassuring himself that he was real.

"Pretty Boy, you are never leaving my sight again. I'm so sorry, I love you so much. I…" he shuddered and tried not to cry, "I was so afraid I was going to lose you." He kissed the top of his head.

"Can we just go home?" Reid asked, feeling himself relax in Morgan's arms. Derek moved one of his hands off of Spencer' s back and saw that it was covered in blood. He tilted Spencer's head up and kissed his lips gently to keep him from passing out.

"Not yet, Pretty Boy, we need to get to a hospital. And you need to stay awake for me, okay? Just stay awake a little bit longer." For the first time he saw police and paramedics coming down the stairs, led by Hotch and Rossi. Morgan just nodded to them. "Give me a second," he said to them, and then knelt in front of Reid and untied his feet. Reid winced when Morgan untied his wrists, despite Morgan's efforts to do it gently. Derek secretly kissed the wince away as he pulled the ropes off and helped him to his feet.

Spencer was too dizzy; he stumbled and fell into Derek as they walked towards the paramedics. Rossi swooped in silently and threw one of Reid's arms around his shoulders, while Derek did the same. Rather than feeling ashamed of having to be helped up the stairs, Spencer felt safe in his friends' arms.

Hotch watched them go up to the ambulance and looked around the room sourly. He nodded to the chief of police.

"Go ahead and process the evidence. We've got Reid back, my team is done here," he said, and walked upstairs to follow the ambulance to the hospital.

* * *

**Who feels good about this chapter? I do! Also I am definitely going to continue writing Morgan/Reid's story, but do you think I should continue in this fic or start a sequel (triquel?)? Give me your thoughts, and get ready for the next chapter and a ton of fluffyness! :)**


	13. Better Than Any Narcotic

**Sorry it has been so long! Writing fluff is out of my element for me, but I honestly love this first scene and I hope you guys do, too. There is a slight mention of Prentiss/Hotch because I'm thinking of doing a spin-off (as well as the sequel). **

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR REVIEWS! I honestly believe that if I plotted the data and made a chart, it would show that the more reviews, the faster I write. Do you think we could get this story to 100 reviews? I hope so!**

**Anyway, read and enjoy!**

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* * *

Chapter 13: Better than any narcotic**

Reid allowed his eyes to drift open, the unfamiliar room attacking his senses. His mouth felt cottony and dry. His nose inhaled the antiseptic smell. He felt bandages around his head, over his heart and on his wrists and ankles. He could hear the beep of the heart monitor and the drip of the IV. He saw that the sky through the venetian blinds of his window was dark; he must have been sleeping for hours. The last thing he remembered was getting in the ambulance with Derek holding his hand and passing out somewhere along the ride to the hospital.

Derek.

He looked to his other side and saw Derek's dark form, half sitting in a chair and half sleeping on the side of his hospital bed. One arm was draped across Spencer's stomach, the other pinned under his chest and holding Spencer's hand. He was sound asleep, his head nestled against Spencer's waist. Spencer watched him for a moment, enjoying the feeling of bliss that he felt, before raising his hand that wasn't already being gripped by Derek and laying it across his lover's arm.

A few garbled words escaped Morgan's muffled mouth, and he sat up, bleary-eyed, and smiled.

"Hey, Spencer," he said, sitting up and kissing him gently. "How are you feeling?" Spencer wished he didn't have to answer, just keep feeling Derek's warm lips on his.

"You're holding my hand, how else could I feel but fantastic?" he replied quietly, his face breaking into a smile. Morgan rolled his eyes but his smiled deepened anyway.

"You think you're so cute," he teased, squeezing his hand. "Seriously, Spencer. You have a pretty bad concussion, a huge burn on your chest, your back is bruised and really cut up, and your ankles and wrists have been rubbed raw. And you haven't been given any painkillers, just like you asked in your medical records. You have to be in a world of pain." Reid just shrugged a little.

"I am, but I don't want you to worry about me." He gingerly scooted over in the small bed. "You should probably lie down; you have to be uncomfortable sitting like that. And it's bad for your posture. And poor posture is a common cause for back pain. 80% of American's will suffer from back pain in their lifetime-" Derek silenced him with a kiss and laughed as he lay down on the bed next to him.

"I can take the hint. You don't need to ask me twice." He didn't want to put his arm around his neck, for fear of hurting his head, or behind his back, since it was so messed up. They settled for Derek laying his head on Spencer's shoulder, his arm returning to its spot across Spencer's stomach and their hands clutching. They lay like that for a few minutes, savoring each other's smell and touch.

"How's the team?" Spencer asked quietly, his voice betraying how happy he was to be back in Derek's arms.

"They're fine," Derek replied. "Everyone was here to see you earlier, but we were told not to wake you up. I think Garcia is baking cookies for you tomorrow, and JJ might bring Henry in to see you. Hotch said he might give us a mandatory vacation, give the cases over to a different team for a few days. He said the entire team seems to need it." Reid nodded.

"He's right. We all need this," he said. Morgan leaned up and kissed his lips again before nuzzling his neck and running his hand along his abdomen.

"And I needed this. Mind if I sleep here with you tonight? I'll be out before the nurses come to check on you, but I'm more worried about you being in pain." Reid smiled.

"Stay. You're better than any narcotic, as far I'm concerned."

"Good," Morgan twirled his fingers through Reid's. "'Cause I don't think I can spend one more second without you in my arms, baby boy…" They lay together silently for a few more minutes.

"So…" Reid started, "the entire team knows about us now?" Morgan just nodded.

"Yeah, but they seem supportive. I think the only thing we have to worry about now is Strauss. I would have kept it a secret, but given the circumstances—"

"No, I understand, it was part of the victimology and we couldn't really hide it over the phone. Especially when there was so much to say…" Reid trailed off and there were a few minutes of silence again.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Morgan asked. Reid sighed and took a deep breath.

"I'm what people call a genius, and I still can't understand how there can be so much hate, so much loathing, for someone who is different. It—it plagued me in school, and I thought that being an adult would change things, but it doesn't. You and I…we'll never really be accepted; for whatever reason, someone's going to find a way to say that our relationship is wrong."

Derek was silent. He kept thinking back to the other day, when Reid had 'repented for his sins' to the UnSub, and how much it had hurt to hear him be blamed for Reid's predicament. _'If I hadn't been such a mess that night, if Reid hadn't come to save me, if I hadn't kissed him… he wouldn't be in this hospital bed right now…" _Without even looking at his face, Reid seemed to read his thoughts.

"But that doesn't mean I regret anything. As the teenagers' colloquial phrase goes, 'Haters are going to hate,' and I love you, no matter what they think. I do regret walking out on you at the restaurant, instead of talking to you. I had some time to think while I was… was in that cellar. I really didn't mean to accuse you, and I know you aren't an alcoholic. I just see you drinking and… it reminds me of that night. I guess I'm just so afraid of losing you that I'm afraid of the alcohol by association. But that's such awful logic; if that was the case, I'd be afraid of water, and the bathtub, or mirrors." He sighed, and Derek tried to speak, but he cut him off. "Let me finish. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I keep wanting to blame alcohol for that night, when I know deep down that it wasn't. And you're right, I do compare it to my situation with Dilaudid, when they aren't the same at all." This time Derek sat up on one elbow and silenced him with a kiss.

"And I owe you an apology. I can't keep bringing it up. You're so strong for not using, and even stronger that you'd rather sit here in pain than be tempted to start using again. I blame myself every day for not being there for you while you were fighting it. And I promise you, I'll never, ever choose alcohol instead of turning to you for help. I've learned my lesson." He leaned down and kissed him deeply. "And as for everyone against us, fuck 'em. As long as I have you, they don't matter." He lay back down to his former position and pulled himself as close to Spencer as he could, without hurting him. After a few minutes, Morgan laughed.

"Did you really say, 'Haters gonna hate?'"

They laughed, allowing the serious subjects to fade from their minds as they lay in each other's arms until they fell asleep.

* * *

"You guys should probably get up before the nurse comes in here and catches you two." Morgan opened his eyes and saw Hotch at the door, Prentiss snickering behind him. His watch said it was six in the morning.

"Aw, let them cuddle. It's so cute. And now I can _finally_ talk about it!"

Morgan held up a finger as he tried to disentangle himself from around Reid, trying not to wake him up, but he was startled when his boyfriend spoke.

"No, it's okay. I've been awake for a while." Morgan gave him a suspicious glance, and Reid rolled his eyes. "It wasn't because of you. My head was hurting. A little." Only slightly reassured, Morgan stood up and straightened his shirt and wiped the gunk out of his eyes as Hotch and Prentiss entered the room and sat down on the opposite side of the bed.

"So, to what do we owe this early morning pleasure?" Morgan asked, slightly grumpy that he wasn't cuddling with Spencer.

"Well we may not be sleeping with him, but we wanted to see Reid, too," Prentiss said as Rossi walked into the room, passing each person a coffee, except Reid, because he wasn't allowed any. Rossi laughed and both Morgan and Reid blushed silently, causing him and Emily to laugh even harder, and Hotch to go wide-eyed.

"This is hardly an appropriate conversation between co-workers…" Rossi patted his shoulder before sitting down at the foot of Reid's bed.

"Well we aren't at work, you aren't at your desk, and Strauss isn't breathing down our necks. We're just friends here," he said, propping his feet up on the end of the bed. Prentiss put her hand on Hotch's, and Morgan noticed that it was held there a little longer than usual before returning to her lap.

"Lighten up a little, Hotch. We should be celebrating right now!"

Despite her intention to alleviate the mood, it reminded everyone of why they were in the hospital in the first place. Derek, preparing for the troubling talk that was about to begin, sat down on the edge of the bed and put Spencer's hand firmly in his. Hotch began.

"I know this is hard, Reid, but we need to go over everything that happened. We only know what we could hear over the phone and—" Reid cut him off.

"I know, Hotch. It's okay, it's part of the job. You don't need to treat me like a victim. I just have one request…" he hesitated, looking at Morgan as the rest of the room looked at him. "Derek, I'm not sure if I want you to hear this."

"No, absolutely not, Spence. I'm not going anywhere. I can take it," Morgan insisted. A small smile played at Spencer's lips.

"Fine, then you have to do something else for me." Hesitantly, Morgan agreed.

"Anything."

"As soon as I'm finished, you have to go home for at least an hour, take care of Clooney, and get some rest," Spencer said. "Or else I'll make the team escort you out." His threat was met with sly looks between Emily and David, and Morgan frowned heavily.

"That isn't fair—" Hotch interrupted him.

"Morgan you promised him. You need to sleep anyway."

Derek just sighed and squeezed Spencer's hand.

"Fine," he said angrily, feeling as if his friends had teamed up with his boyfriend. Spencer took a deep breath before beginning to recall the worst 24 hours of his life to his best friends.

After the end of the Reid's narrative, it had been an hour and the morning nurse had come in with breakfast. Her eyebrows shot up under her bangs as she took in the room full of agents, all looking somber and serious. She only hated that she had to be the one to bring some bad news.

"Well, it's good to see you up. You have two new visitors. Unfortunately, I can't allow you to have this many people in your room. I've already stretched the rules enough to let one of you stay here, and that was only because I was assured it was a matter of extreme importance to the FBI." Reid gave a confused look as Rossi winked at him, Hotch and Derek exchanging smiles. The nurse continued as she wrote on Reid's chart. "Regardless, this is too many people and if you want to get people, some of you will have to leave. I'm sorry, but them's the rules."

Spencer smiled.

"It's fine, really. Derek was about to go home and get some rest anyway," he said. Derek looked like he was about to argue, but Hotch stood up quickly.

"That's right, and I'll drive him home. Come on, Agent Morgan." Emily was stifling a laugh as everyone seemed to gang up on Morgan. Even Spencer smiled weakly, although he had to admit all the people in the room were starting to give him a headache. Rossi stood up as well.

"Well if it's Garcia and JJ coming in, and we all know it is, then I'll head out and let you all have some 'Reid and the girls' time." At Spencer's wide eyed look, he added, "It'll be fine, I'll be back before they start putting makeup on you." The nurse, sensing the change in mood, left to go retrieve the two new visitors. Seizing the opportunity, Derek leaned forward and kissed Spencer chastely on the lips.

"I'll be back soon, Pretty Boy, don't you worry." Hotch rolled his eyes.

"I can't ever hear that nickname the same way again…" he said, before being greeted by two familiar blonde bombshells at the doorway. In JJ's arms she held Henry, only a few months old. Garcia held a large blue 'Get Well Soon!' balloon.

"I wanted to make you cookies, but they told me not to feed you until they were sure you could stomach it. Oh, my baby, what did you get yourself into now?" Garcia fussed as she entered, and although Morgan could see him wincing from the pain, he knew that Reid would never complain about a hug from Garcia. As Reid was carefully sitting up to hold Henry, Morgan whispered in Emily's ear.

"Make sure they let him rest a bit, and take care of him until I get back." Emily answered without turning from the scene in front of her.

"Naturally. I won't let him get too worn out by them, but I get the feeling that he needs this." Morgan nodded and pat her on the shoulder. He gave Reid one more kiss with a promise to be back soon, and then left the room with Hotch and Rossi.

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**So, I hope that was good, I promise the next update will be faster, let me know what you think about the spin-off, and the next chapter will deal with some Strauss hating. Don't worry, the sexy smut time is coming!**


	14. Ubermensch

**So... I'm really sorry this took so long. I really don't have a good excuse, only that I'm a college kid and that this chapter was kind of boring to write because there wasn't anything sexy or angsty in it. Trust me, this chapter was started right after my last chapter was published, and I just finished it, which should tell you how long it took me. Still, I think it turned out cute and fluffy. Also this is setting the scene for the next installment of this series.**

**Also, there's a mini philosophy lesson in this chapter, though I'm sure I'm doing a great disservice to Nietzsche by writing a poor description of his ethics. You probably hate me for all the philosophy I put in here, but it's one of my majors, so hush. Still I hope you enjoy! One more review to 100! And I promise the next chapter will come faster.**

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**Chapter 14: Ubermensch**

Morgan lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling, wearing his favorite sweatpants and letting Clooney lie across his feet. He was trying to relax, close his eyes and let sleep take over for a little while.

But everything felt so uncomfortable. His bare back felt like it was sticking to the sheets. One pillow wasn't enough, and two felt like it was going to break his neck. He tried rolling onto his stomach, his sides, and all kinds of positions, but he couldn't get comfortable. He just wished he could be at the hospital with Reid.

He checked his phone. Still a half an hour until the team would let him come back. Hotch even grinned a bit as he called Emily, to tell her to start timing as Morgan stepped in the doorway.

And he'd done as Spencer had told him. He'd fed Clooney, taken a shower, ate some leftovers that were in his fridge and was now laying down to sleep. But he just couldn't do it, knowing that Spencer was in the hospital. For the first time in two days he checked his home voicemail.

"_Derek, honey, it's your mom. I just haven't talked to you in a few days.." _Fran Morgan had taken to calling her son every day since his almost-suicide. Though she knew that it was Spencer who had saved him, she was unaware of their romantic relationship. Without listening to the rest of the message, Derek deleted the message and hit the speed dial on his cell phone.

"Derek? Baby, is everything okay?" Fran's worried voice came over the phone. Derek chuckled to himself; there was nothing like hearing your fussing mother's voice to make you feel safe.

"Yeah, Mama, everything is fine. I'm sorry I haven't called, we had a real tough case yesterday," he said, throwing his free arm behind his head and sighing. "Spencer was kidnapped… again… but we got him back and he's in the hospital. I just got back from seeing him." His could almost hear his mother frowning in thought over the phone.

"Spencer? Is he new? I don't think I've heard you speak of him before." Morgan mentally cursed himself for being careless.

"I meant Reid, Mom, Dr. Spencer Reid. Anyway, since this case was so stressful, we're getting a little vacation time to recoup." He heard an excited gasp from over the phone and he laughed. "You wouldn't mind if your baby boy swung up to Chicago to see you, now would you?" His mother made a small scream of excitement.

"Of course, Derek. I'll let your sisters know and they can come by, too," she said. There was an awkward moment of silence where Derek tried to find the words he was looking for. "Is there something else, Derek?" Morgan took a deep breath.

"Mama, I want to bring someone up to meet you, somebody really special to me. Your baby is finally in love, and it's time that the two loves of my life met." He neglected to say that his mother had met the love of his life previously, but he didn't think it really counted because he and Reid hadn't been in a relationship at the time. His mother gave a mixed cry of laughter and excitement and Morgan could hear her clapping her hands in anticipation.

"I can't wait, Derek. So tell me, what's this 'love of your life' like?" Derek couldn't help but smile as he described Spencer vaguely but carefully.

"Gorgeous, funny, and so intelligent. Just overall incredible," he said sighing and wishing he could be with his Spencer right at that moment.

"Well, I'm glad you've found someone so wonderful. I have to go now, my lunch break is almost over. But I can't wait to see you, baby. Call me later when you know exactly when you are going to come up." They said their goodbyes and Morgan sighed, looking at his phone. Fifteen more minutes until Spencer would allow him to go back to the hospital. Dismissing his attempt at sleep, he got up and prepared to head back.

"Reid, you should really sleep some. The nurses are going to get pissed at us, not to mention how Morgan's going to get."

Prentiss had tried, really tried, to get Reid to relax some, but he insisted on staying awake and playing with Henry and chatting with the girls.

"I had a near-death experience, Emily, let me have my fun," Reid argued, tickling Henry, who was nestled in Penelope's arms. Emily just groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, and I'm going to have a near-death experience when Morgan gets here and sees you wincing in pain and not getting any rest. Don't pull the guilt trip on me, Spencer Reid." Despite her words, she couldn't help but be happy to see Reid smiling and laughing, even though her powers of observation showed that he was tired and in pain.

"Speaking of Morgan," JJ cut in, "You better call him and say that he can come back now. He's probably waiting at his door with his keys in his hands." Prentiss nodded and pulled out her phone, dialing Morgan's number. A ring tone sounded from just outside the door and Penelope laughed.

"Sounds like my chocolate bunny was naughty and didn't wait long enough to come back," she said as Derek sheepishly opened the door.

"Hey, at least I tried to sleep. From the looks of things I can't say the same for you, Spence," he said, slightly annoyed that his boyfriend wasn't resting and getting better. Despite this, Spencer's face lit up when Derek walked into the room, and Derek's fears for Spencer's health evaporated. He laughed and shook his head.

"That smile… that freaking smile makes my brain go to mush and I can't even stay mad at you," he said, his face split into the widest grin imaginable. JJ and Garcia pretended to swoon and even Prentiss couldn't hide her utter joy at seeing the two of them together. Morgan tossed a duffle bag on the front of Reid's bed.

"I brought you a few books, some changes of clothes for when you can finally get out of that bed, and some clean, mismatched socks for you," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and laying one hand on Spencer's knee.

"Aw, thanks sweetie pie!" Penelope teased, and the girls laughed, but Spencer was too busy smiling at Morgan to get offended. JJ cleared her throat.

"Alright, love birds, now I know you don't want to talk about this but Hotch asked me to talk to you guys about Strauss," she stated, looking between the two of them. Reid groaned softly and let his head fall back on the pillow, closing his eyes.

"I hate Strauss. Why does she have to ruin everything?" he asked, not only feeling physically tired, but emotionally tired at the thought of having to _keep_ hiding their relationship. Morgan squeezed his knee gently and turned to JJ.

"What are we going to tell her about yesterday? She'll want to know why Spencer was taken, and our full report is going to have to include what happened the night before. Strauss will have no choice but to get one or both of us transferred," he said, a worried look crossing his face, but JJ seemed unfazed.

"We'll tell her exactly what happened. Reid was taken because he was seen at a restaurant kissing an African American male. We used you, Morgan, to convince the UnSub that he was talking to that male. Sound about right, Emily?" Emily raised her eyebrows appraisingly and nodded.

"That's how I remember it. Garcia?"

"I was in my lair the entire time, but if I remember correctly that is indeed what happened," she said, then turned to look at the baby in her arms. "Right, Henry?"

Reid opened his eyes and smiled.

"You all realize that what you're doing is completely unethical. But thank you. We couldn't pull this off without you all," he said, looking at each of them in turn. JJ put a hand on his arm.

"Of course, Spence. We're your family, and we take care of each other," she said. Reid just grinned at her and raised one arm to lay his hand on hers. She suddenly perked up in her seat and looked at everyone in the room.

"I forgot to tell you all. As soon as we finish the report for this case, we are getting a week-and-a-half off! Hotch made the decision early this morning. I think Will and I are going to take Henry on a trip to New Orleans for a few days," she said. The girls started to talk about their plans for the break while Morgan watched Reid, who listened with his eyes closed and a grin on his face. Morgan knew he was still awake because every few seconds Reid would open his eyes and look lovingly at his boyfriend. It was during one of these moments that Prentiss interrupted them.

"…Earth to Morgan? Garcia asked you a question," she said, shaking her silky dark hair and chuckling to herself. While he was preoccupied Henry had been switched into Emily's arms, and Reid had the brief thought that she would be a good mother.

"No, it wasn't that important!" Penelope said quickly. "I like watching them gaze into each other's beautiful brown eyes! Don't ruin it!" Morgan laughed and Reid gave a small chuckle.

"Too late, Baby Girl, you have my undivided attention," Derek said. "What did you ask?" JJ just rolled her eyes and smiled patiently at Morgan.

"She asked what you were going to do on your break, other than obsess over Spencer, which we know you will," she said, and Morgan smiled somewhat embarrassedly and looked at Spencer.

"Well I talked to my mom on the phone while I was home, and I told her I'd go up to Chicago to visit her for a few days. I kind of assumed we'd get a break after the last few cases." Even as he said this, he saw Reid's face sink into confusion, disappointment and doubt, so he added, "I told her I wanted her to meet someone very special to me, and I was going to bring that person up to meet the family." After another second of confusion, Spencer's face lit up, and he had a small smirk on his face.

"I guess my plans are set then. And to think I thought I was going to be bored around the house for a week and a half," Spencer said, reaching forward and squeezing Derek's hand. Penelope just laughed.

"Sweetheart, you are dating the illustrious Derek Morgan. You can rule boredom out of your vocabulary from now on."

They giggled and talked about their plans more until Derek noticed that Spencer was beginning to finally doze off. He waved his arms around to get the ladies' attention and pointed to Reid. JJ and Garcia kissed his forehead and Prentiss gave Morgan a tight hug before they all filed out, turning their affections onto Henry.

Reid's eyes opened slightly and he smiled at his boyfriend.

"I love them. I wish they could have stayed, but I'm just so tired…" he said, his eyes opening and closing heavily. "I wish you could lay here with me, but it'd be really suspicious." Morgan moved away from Spencer's knees and towards his torso, laying Spencer's arm in his lap. He leaned forward and gently kissed his boyfriend, whose lips made a half hearted effort to prolong the kiss after Derek pulled away.

"I know, Pretty Boy. Want me to read to you until you fall asleep? I only brought the books that you had left at my house, so I don't know what you've read already…" he trailed off and pulled a few books from his duffle bag at the end of the bed. Spencer smiled and pointed to one with a large yellow bookmark sticking out of it.

"'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'. I put that bookmark there because there was a passage that reminded me of you. Read the hi-lighted part." Morgan flipped open to it and read it.

""I love him who loves his virtue, for virtue is the will to go under and an arrow of longing. I love him who does not hold back one drop of spirit for himself, but wants to be entirely the spirit of his virtue: thus he strides over the bridge as spirit,'" he read, amused but not quite sure what it all meant. "'I love him who makes his virtue his addiction and his catastrophe: for his virtue's sake he wants to live on and to live no longer.'" He looked at Reid, who was smiling as if he'd been reminded of a private joke.

"Nietzsche, as Zarathustra, is saying that the best possible man, Ubermensch, as he calls him, is the one who can overcome himself to discover his own virtues and embody them completely. It's one of the points of Nietzsche that I actually like: that we can dictate our lives by our actions and make that life as beautiful and meaningful as possible. I see you as the closest thing to the Ubermensch, at least in my eyes." Here, Spencer chuckled as he looked at Derek's face. Derek's mouth was slightly open, his eyes had softened and there was a slight blush on his dark cheeks. Spencer continued to explain. "There's one more thing about the Ubermensch that reminds me of you: literally translated, it means 'Superman.' You are my Superman."

Morgan couldn't believe what Spencer was telling him. _How can this brave, wonderful genius really think I'm some kind of superhero?_ He could feel himself trying to thank Spencer, to tell him he thought too highly of him, or some joking way to brush off the high compliments, but he couldn't form the words.

So he put his hand up to brush back Spencer's hair and leaned in to kiss him long and lovingly, letting his body do what his brain couldn't. Their lips lingered for what seemed like an hour, and Morgan pulled away only to put his forehead on Reid's.

"I love you so much, Spencer."

Spencer brushed his hand against Derek's cheek, and Derek could clearly hear the smile on his face.

"I love you too, Derek Morgan."

They lay like that for a few more minutes, and when Derek sat back up straight he saw that Spencer had finally dozed off.

* * *

**Reviews encouraged :)**

**Anyone here a med/premed major? Know how long it would take for a person to be able to participate in rigorous activity (a.k.a. sex) after a concussion? I need to do research.**


	15. Crazy About You

**Oh man, I hope you guys didn't think I'd forgotten about this story! After school ended I just had a serious case of writer's block and then I started working (speaking of which, if any of you visit the Cincinnati Zoo, ask around for me in the gift shop, I'm there ALMOST EVERY DAY) and I just let FanFiction sit on the back burner. So I'm really sorry about the long wait :[**

**Also, if I follow any of your stories and I haven't reviewed in awhile, I'm getting back to reading them and reviewing, but in case you don't get a review on your story from me know that I LOVE all of your writing, guys, it literally has been keeping me sane lately.**

**Thanks to everyone who supported this story. This is the final chapter for Madness in Love, but I've tentatively named the sequel 'Roots and Wings' and I also have a one shot and the spin-off in mind. I hope you guys enjoy! See you on the next fic!**

**Love, Rebecca or Prongs3345**

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**Chapter 15: Crazy About You**

Derek strolled through the hospital feeling like he was walking on air. A Hall & Oates song played in his head as he left the gift shop, and a small bouquet of roses lay in his hand. He had an unmistakable skip in his step and a wide smile on his face

"Thanks, sweet heart," he said as a middle-aged nurse gave him the paperwork to sign. Ramona, the nurse, giggled like a teenager when he flashed his trademark grin.

"I hope I don't have to see your or Doctor Reid's gorgeous faces in here again!" He winked at her and jauntily walked down to his boyfriend's hospital room, tossing the bouquet and snatching it in air. It had been two days and Morgan was finally going to take Reid home.

Morgan stopped in the doorway and frowned at Reid's empty bed, a moment of panic coursing through him until he heard a grunt and saw the genius stand up from the other side of the bed, a book in hand. He jumped when Morgan spoke in a stern voice.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Reid smiled sheepishly. He had replaced his hospital gown with corduroy pants and a shirt that hung unbuttoned on his shoulders. Throwing the book into his duffle bag, he began searching around for his shoes, one red and one black sock on their respective feet.

"I was just trying to get myself ready so we could leave as soon as you got here," Spencer said, kicking his shoes out from underneath a chair. "I wanted to leave yesterday, but _somebody_ asked the doctor to keep me an extra day to make sure I'm okay." He gave a pointed look to Derek.

Morgan rolled his eyes and pulled out the bouquet from behind the door with a grin.

"Well will you _please_ sit your hot ass down and relax so I can stop worryin'? You don't want me to make you stay another day." Despite the threat, Spencer smiled at the roses and reached out to take them from his boyfriend, only to have them snatched out from him. "Uh uh…" Derek raised his eyebrows and pointed to the bed.

"Fine, but I still have to finish getting ready…" Derek silenced Spencer's protest with a kiss and pushed the roses into his hands. Derek punctuated his next comment with kisses.

"And I can handle it. You," _kiss_. "Just," _kiss_. "Relax."

Derek reached for the bottom of Spencer's shirt and began to button it up, as the shirt-wearer let his head fall back and his eyes close in an attempt to relax. As his dark hands neared the top of his lover's chest, Derek could see the bandage on the burn over Spencer's heart. He paused and brushed his fingers gently over it, wondering not if, but how badly it would scar. Spencer opened his eyes when he felt the gesture.

"It's okay, Derek. It's over. The scars will heal and… and we can get back to normal again." He smiled and put his hand on Derek's, moving it away from the bandage. Derek looked up from his reverie and grinned as he finished buttoning the shirt.

"I know. I was just thinking how now you look much more badass than I." He knelt down and put Spencer's loafers onto each mismatched foot, snatched the duffle bag and threw it over his shoulder. The raggedy clothes Reid had worn when he was taken were now thrown away, and the few possessions he had had with him, his wallet, phone and watch, were in his pockets. They both gave one good look around the hospital room and deemed it clear of personal items.

Morgan untied Garcia's 'Get Well Soon' balloon from the bed and looked at his lover with a smile on his face.

"Ready to go home, Pretty Boy?" He held out his hand and Reid accepted it, standing and putting a small kiss on Derek's lips.

"Let's go. I'm tired of hospitals," he said, and Derek let go of Spencer's hand to stroke his cheek, pushing his hair away from his face.

"Can I convince you to let me get a wheelchair to take you out to the car?" he asked, only half-jokingly. Spencer rolled his eyes and playfully hit him with his bouquet before pulling him out the door.

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"Derek! Cut it out!" Spencer laughed as his boyfriend jogged around the front of the SUV to open the door for him. Morgan had locked the door and kept his thumb on the car remote so that Reid wouldn't let himself out. Arriving at his destination, the older man opened the door and held out his hand with a sweeping bow, a teasing grin on his face. "Seriously, Derek, I'm perfectly fine." When Derek didn't budge, he rolled his eyes and let Derek help him down from the SUV.

"Baby boy, when are you gonna learn that as my boyfriend, you are required to let me take care of you…" Spencer started to pull away as they neared the front steps.

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much…" he insisted, pushing Morgan lightly. Morgan wrapped his arm around Spencer's waist as he put the key in the lock.

"Believe me, I know you can take care of yourself," Derek said, kissing Spencer as he pushed open the door with his foot. He lingered on his lips for a second before pulling away. "I just like to do it for you."

Spencer took a deep breath in his apartment. It felt good to be _home_. Sure, he would've been just as satisfied to be at Morgan's, but there was something about the neat stacks of books along the floor, the persistent smell of coffee and his cluttered but organized knick-knacks on every surface that made him feel especially content.

He turned to Derek, who was placing the duffle bag gently on the floor and letting the balloon hover to the ceiling.

Suddenly Reid's mouth was on Derek's. Their lips moved in sync with each other, Spencer's tongue cautiously sliding forward to meet Derek's before exploring the darker man's mouth. Reid slid his hands to Derek's t-shirt and pulled it out from his pants, letting his hands roam on the hard lower abdominals. Morgan moaned softly and dropped the bouquet of roses to wrap his strong arms around Spencer's frame, but stopped suddenly and stepped back when he felt a bandage beneath the button-up shirt. He put his hands on Reid's shoulders and shook his head with a reluctant smile.

"Uh uh, Pretty Boy, you're not getting it that easy. The doctors said you need to relax, and sex, as much as I want it, is certainly not their idea of relaxing." The stronger man pushed Spencer back gently, but was met with a hard push back against the door and Spencer's lips back upon his.

"I don't care. I don't want to waste one more second that I have with you."

Morgan moaned into his mouth as Reid's hands trailed around and grabbed his boyfriends jean-clad ass, pulling their hips closer together. Their lips parted as Spencer trailed hot kisses down Derek's jaw line, stopping to suck none too gently at his collarbone.

"Oh god… Spencer, please, baby… we can't…" Morgan wanted to have a quiet day of recovery for his boyfriend, but the images of Spencer beneath him and the feeling of his hands and mouth all over him made it hard to do the right thing.

Spencer looked up and put his forehead against Derek's, sliding a hand around to the front.

"Derek, please. I want this. I want my sense of normalcy back." His hand slid below Derek's waistband and was met with a half-moan, half-growl when his hand cupped Derek's erection. "I want you." Morgan felt his resistance slipping away as his eyes rolled up and he moaned at Spencer's touch.

"Fine- oh god… But nothing rough," he said finally. He pulled Spencer's hands up and put them around his own neck, kissing him again and slowly pushing him towards the bedroom. "You're so persuasive."

Spencer grinned and pulled him towards his bedroom, both of them kicking off their shoes and socks as they went.

"It's one reason why you love me."

They entered the bedroom, Spencer sitting on the purple and blue striped comforter and pulling Derek on top of him. Morgan carefully kept his weight off of him as Reid lay down, his legs on either side of Reid's waist. He leaned forward and kissed the pale man passionately.

"You're right, I do love you."

Spencer grinned from below as Derek sat up straight and peeled off his shirt, reveling in the look of his boyfriends taught abs. His hands stroked each defined muscle as Derek began to carefully unbutton his own shirt as they resumed kissing passionately.

The shirt came off and Spencer felt Derek's lips leave his. Confused, he opened his eyes and saw deep brown eyes staring down at his body. Reid was suddenly self conscious— the large white bandage on his chest felt like a brand declaring his weakness—but he just put his hand over it.

"Just close your eyes. Can we just pretend it's not there for now?" he asked. Derek nodded, taking a deep breath to regain his composure, and leaned down to continue kissing Spencer.

Soon their hands were busying themselves with each other's belt buckles and zippers, giggling like school boys as they fought for dominance over the kiss. Derek won, but only because Spencer loved the feeling of his boyfriend's tongue invading his mouth. His nimble fingers were faster at unfastening Derek's pants, however, and soon his hand was cupping the bulge in Derek's underwear, making Derek moan in anticipation.

"Pants. Off," Spencer demanded between kisses, and Derek complied by rolling off of him for the briefest of seconds, removing both his and Spencer's pants and underwear in record time, and rolling back to straddle his waist. Just their erections touching each other between them made Derek want to take Spencer then and there. But he contained himself enough to avoid thrusting into him without properly taking care of his genius first.

Derek kissed Spencer again and then began slowly inching his way down Spencer's body, barely dragging his tongue across his abdomen and navel in a way that made the young man shiver.

"Let me take care of you, Pretty Boy."

He licked first from shaft to tip, hugging Spencer's cock with his tongue before putting his lips on the tip and flicking his tongue gently as he sucked. Spencer arched his back with a moan, clenching onto the bed sheets with his fists as Morgan took more of him into his mouth. His fingers gently moved to Spencer's entrance and he began stretching him, listening to the contented sighs that caught in his boyfriend's throat as he continued giving him head.

When he felt Spencer pushing on his fingers, Derek stopped and moved back up to kiss Spencer.

"Ready, babe?" Derek asked as Spencer's arms wrapped around his body. Spencer grinned sheepishly and chuckled nervously.

"Yes, but I don't know if I can do this on my back. My stitches…" Spencer's wounds on his back had not been considered serious, but he had required a few stitches on some of the tears. Reid had a point, Morgan realized; the friction from sex could hurt him. Morgan leaned down and kissed him again.

"No problem."

Derek repositioned himself and Spencer rolled over onto his knees and elbows. Morgan let his lips graze the wounds on Reid's back as he slowly pushed himself inside Reid. Reid moaned loudly as his boyfriend's large cock filled him up. Dark hands wrapped around Spencer's bony hips as Derek thrust slowly.

"Oh god… Derek, keep going…" Reid urged with short, panting breaths. Derek was nervous; he did want to go faster but he was so nervous about hurting Spencer. He heard his lover moan out his name and his body made the decision for him and he started to thrust faster and harder. Derek loved the way Spencer moaned every time he hit his prostate, and it only made him thrust with more ferociousness. Derek's hand slid around to Spencer's loose erection and he began pumping hard in time with his thrusts. He kissed Spencer's back again, his stubble grazing the pale spine in a way that made Spencer shiver.

"Derek! Oh my god…" Suddenly Spencer's back arched and his body shook as he came, his seed spilling out onto the sheets. His muscles clenched around Derek's cock and Derek came two thrusts later, moaning Spencer's name.

Derek pulled out and smoothly rolled onto the other side of the bed, pulling Spencer into his arms and kissing him passionately. Spencer's damp hair clung to his face as he kissed back and wrapped his arms around his lover's body.

"I love you, you know that?" Derek asked, tracing his thumb across Spencer's pink lips and gazing into his eyes. "I love you, and I'm going to tell you that every day until the day I die." His hand moved to caress Spencer's chest and he stopped over the burn over his heart. Suddenly, Derek's eyes began to well up with tears and he struggled to keep them from running down his cheeks. Morgan felt like a dam was breaking; though he'd broken down in front of his team mates when Reid had been taken, he hadn't really let himself cry since Reid had been rescued.

Spencer leaned up on his elbow and reached a hand for Derek's face.

"Derek… stop it. Whatever you are thinking right now… just stop. I feel fine, fantastic in fact. I just want to share this moment with you. Can we just forget about the last few days an- and just be together?" Spencer smiled weakly at Derek as he caressed his cheek, and Derek wiped his eyes.

"I know, Pretty Boy, I don't want to think about it anymore either," Derek said. "I just can't help it. Before, I thought I was the luckiest man in the world to have you, and now I'm so afraid of losing you that… Well honestly it scares me shitless. I don't ever wanna lose you, and the thought that I just came so close to having that happen makes me so scared."

Spencer felt butterflies in his stomach, and an immense sense of love washed over him. He wiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb and kissed Morgan once.

"You'll never lose me. I'm always going to be by your side," he said, pulling his body closer to Morgan's. "We've survived through so much together already, it's pretty clear that fate has no intention of tearing us apart."

Derek took a deep breath and smiled.

"You're right. I'm overreacting. Nothing's going to take you away from me," he said, putting Spencer's hand over his own heart. "You're always going to be right here. And I'm going to stay right in here." He put his hand over Spencer's heart, not even acknowledging the bandage this time. Spencer chuckled then.

"Besides, I'm meeting your family soon, so that's got to mean I'm stuck with you." Derek rolled his eyes and laughed too.

"Yeah, soon you'll get to be part of all the Morgan family insanity," he said, pulling Reid into his embrace. Spencer sighed happily then, closing his eyes and listening to Derek's deep breaths.

"Yes, but I'm crazy about you, so it evens out."

_"I have loved to the point of madness, that which is called madness, that which to me is the only sensible way to love." _

_-Francoise Sagan_


End file.
